Malaysia's Prime Minister writes to Singapore's Lee Hsien Loong, requesting leniency in the case of a drug trafficker

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has written to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, pleading for mercy in the case of a Malaysian who is set to be hanged this week for drug trafficking.

Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam's case has gotten international attention in recent weeks, with human rights groups and others calling for his execution to be postponed due to his intellectual handicap.

According to Malaysian news agency Bernama, Datuk Seri Ismail has asked the Singapore government to look into postponing Nagaenthran's execution and has filed a new appeal for presidential pardon (Nov 7).

In April 2009, Singapore officials detained Nagaenthran for carrying 42.72 grammes of heroin.
With the bundle of cocaine tied to his thigh, he was apprehended at Woodlands Checkpoint on his way into Singapore from Malaysia.

In November 2010, the High Court sentenced him to death.

His case went all the way to the end of the appeals process, and his request for presidential pardon was denied in June 2020.
On November 10, the death penalty will be carried out.

Nagaenthran's lawyers claim he is mentally challenged.

The High Court has already evaluated whether Nagaenthran's mental responsibility for his acts was severely damaged at the time of the offence, according to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to MHA, the courts determined that he knew what he was doing when he committed the offence.

According to the ministry's statement, the High Court determined that Nagaenthran was not intellectually impaired based on the testimony of psychiatrists.
This included a psychiatrist who "agreed in court that Nagaenthran was not mentally impaired," according to the defence.

"The High Court evaluated the facts, expert evidence from four separate psychiatric/psychological specialists, and subsequent representations by the prosecution and defence," MHA said in a statement, citing judgments from the High Court and the Court of Appeal.