SINGAPORE, November 9. /TASS/. Singapore’s Court of Appeal has postponed the November 10 execution of a Malaysian citizen convicted for drug trafficking over the fact that he is infected with coronavirus, based on a decision by Justice Andrew Phang published on Tuesday.

The judge stated that the court believed that it was not appropriate to proceed, "given the circumstances." He noted that the execution scheduled for Wednesday should be postponed. The judge adjourned the hearing to a date yet to be scheduled and issued a stay of execution until the proceedings have concluded.

On Monday, Singapore’s High Court turned down an attorney’s claim that the convicted drug smuggler had an intellectual disability. Justice See Kee Oon explained that there were no convincing grounds for such suppositions, which the defendant’s lawyer made without a medical assessment. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the High Court granted the defendant an opportunity to appeal the verdict again.

A 33-year-old Nagaenthran Dharmalingam was arrested in 2009 for attempting to smuggle approximately 42 grams of heroin into Singapore, in November 2010, he was sentenced to capital punishment. Malaysian and international human rights organizations insist that the convicted man is mentally disabled and that criminal gangs took advantage of him by talking him into transporting drugs.