British billionaire emphasizes the need for clemency as execution date approaches.
UPDATE: A last-minute motion filed by Nagaenthran’s mother, Panchalai Supermaniam, on Tuesday (April 26) has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal, indicating that Nagaenthran is likely to be executed at 6:00 AM on Wednesday.
Mdm Panchalai sought to challenge the legality of prior judgments, citing a conflict of interest as Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon had prosecuted Nagaenthran before dismissing his appeals. Appearing without legal representation, Mdm Panchalai stated that the motion was intended to buy time to secure a lawyer for her son. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Wong Woon Kwong deemed her claims baseless.
Justices Andrew Phang, Judith Prakash, and Belinda Ang of the Court of Appeal dismissed her motion, with Justice Phang stating that it was “devoid of merit.”
British billionaire Richard Branson has once again called for a stay of execution for Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a convicted Malaysian drug trafficker scheduled to be hanged on Wednesday (April 27).
Branson, who has long campaigned against the death penalty alongside other business leaders, expressed his hopes for President Halimah Yacob, stating, “I truly hope that by Wednesday evening, she does not have this young man’s death on her conscience.” In a recent interview with Agence France-Presse, published on April 25, he urged President Yacob to grant clemency to Nagaenthran, who has an IQ of 69 and is believed to have an intellectual disability.
“We plead with her to reconsider whether Singapore should still be in the business of executing people in this day and age,” he remarked. “It is simply inhumane. I don’t believe that civilized nations should execute their citizens or anyone.”
Nagaenthran, now 34, has been on death row for 11 years after being arrested for drug trafficking at age 21 for importing 42.72 grams of heroin into Singapore. He claimed during his trial that he was coerced into committing the crime by an assailant who threatened his girlfriend.
His case gained international attention last year, with his execution originally scheduled for November 10 but postponed after he tested positive for COVID-19 two days prior. Branson first spoke out against the death penalty on that day, stating, “I join many others who are concerned about this tragic case in calling on Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob to exercise her pardon powers and spare Nagaenthran’s life. It would be the just and fair course of action.”
Earlier this year, on February 25, he reiterated, “While no one is denying what he did, nearly everyone I’ve spoken to agrees that he does not deserve to die—this includes Malaysia’s King and Prime Minister, numerous human rights advocates, and over 100,000 petitioners demanding that the execution be halted.”
Branson conveyed his “enormous respect” for Singapore but stated that the death penalty represents a significant negative aspect of the nation. “It is a horrible stain on its reputation,” he said, urging the country to “abolish the death penalty altogether” and follow the lead of many other civilized nations.
Nagaenthran’s mother plans to challenge the court’s decision again on Tuesday (April 26). Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil was held at Hong Lim Park on Monday night for Nagaenthran and Datchinamurthy Kataiah, 36, who is set to be executed on April 29 after being convicted of smuggling 44.96 grams of diamorphine into Singapore in 2011.
Earlier in March, Singapore executed its first inmate in over two years—Abdul Kahar bin Othman, 68—who had been sentenced to death for drug trafficking in 2013.
