They are particularly unhappy with how the republic’s Court of Appeal did not question the reason for their final appeal, questioning instead who helped the family file their application.
Nagaenthran’s sister, Sharmila, 36, said she was lost for words when the court dismissed the legal challenge on Tuesday, in a last-ditch attempt to set aside her brother’s conviction and death sentence for drug trafficking.
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The basis of the legal challenge was that judge Sundaresh Menon, who presided over and dismissed Nagaenthran’s appeals, was earlier the attorney-general who had prosecuted Nagaenthran and secured his conviction.
“We had already appealed, but the deputy public prosecutor did not even ask why we were appealing the court’s decision,” said Sharmila at her home in Taman Indah, Tanjung Rambutan here last night.
“We are saddened over Nagen’s (Nagaenthran’s) punishment, but we don’t know how to express it.
“We feel angry, but we’re just common folk. When we filed the appeal, they asked us who helped us and if there were any lawyers in our family. They didn’t touch on the contents of the appeal and affidavit.”
Sharmila thanked Malaysians and those from abroad who had been unrelenting in urging Singapore not to execute Nagaenthran.
“Our family wants to thank everyone who helped, supported and prayed for Nagen. In fact, many Singaporeans and others also helped.
“We can’t do anything now. We need to accept that he’s not with us anymore,” she said.
She said her mother, Panchalai Supermaniam, was particularly grieved as Nagaenthran was executed while she was still on the way to Singapore by bus.
“We’ve tried getting her to speak and to eat some food because we’re worried for her health.”
Nagaenthran’s body has been brought back home and is expected to be cremated in Buntong tomorrow, following prayers today.
Nagaenthran was said to have an IQ of 69 – a level recognised as a disability. He had been on death row in Singapore since 2010 for smuggling 42.7gm of heroin into the city-state a year earlier.
He was supposed to have been executed on Nov 10, 2021, but found temporary respite on Nov 9 after the court was told that he had tested positive for Covid-19 when he appeared for a last-ditch attempt to commute his death sentence.
On March 29, the Singapore court rejected an appeal against his execution, dismissing an argument put forward by his legal team that he should be spared because he was mentally impaired.