A Malaysian national was executed on Friday at Changi Prison after being sentenced to death in 2014 for importing 22.24 g of heroin, or diamorphine, into Singapore. In April 2012, Prabagaran Srivijayan was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint.
The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a press release that two two packets of the drug were recovered from the Malaysian-registered vehicle that he was driving.
On Thursday, Singapore's highest court dismissed an eleventh-hour motion to halt the 29-year-old's execution. In dismissing the motion, Judges of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, Andrew Phang and Tay Yong Kwang called the attempt to halt Prabagaran's execution because of proceedings in another country "an abuse of process".
According to reports, Prabagaran's lawyer had filed a motion seeking to delay the execution on Tuesday. The lawyers said that the Malaysian has an appeal pending before the Court of Appeal in Kuala Lumpur. "The judiciary of each country is entitled to act in accordance with its Constitution and its laws," Judge Chao said. "No judiciary of one country interferes in the judicial process of another country."
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, if the amount of diamorphine imported is more than 15g then the convict is given a death penalty. CNB said that 22.24 grams of diamorphine is equivalent to about 1,853 straws, which is sufficient to feed the addiction of about 265 abusers for a week.
