Zara inquest: DPP awaits AGC's say on contempt action against Shafie

The deputy public prosecutor (DPP) is awaiting instructions from the attorney-general on whether to initiate contempt proceedings against Warisan president Shafie Apdal.

This is over the former Sabah chief minister’s public remarks regarding the ongoing inquest into the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir.

The Coroner’s Court was informed of this by DPP Fairuz Johari, the conducting officer for the inquest, when questioned by Coroner Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan about the status of the show-cause letter that was issued to the politician on Sept 22.

On Oct 2, Dusuki confirmed receiving Shafie’s (above) written reply to the show-cause letter regarding the remarks he made on Sept 29.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said it would not hesitate to take firm action under the law, including initiating contempt of court proceedings, once the review is completed.

The show-cause letter, dated Sept 22, concerned remarks allegedly made by Shafie at a public event (Jelajah Inspirasi DSSA P187 Kinabatangan) on Sept 20.

It stated that he had questioned the protracted duration of the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina, who was 13 when she died.

The inquest into the death of the teenager entered its 18th day today.

Earlier, the court heard the testimony of Nor Aidora Saedon, 52, senior director of the Centre for Quality Management and Research, under the Chemistry Department.

She testified that the bloodstains found on two pages of a diary containing Zara Qairina’s handwriting matched the DNA profile obtained from the teenager’s bone specimen.

So far, 17 witnesses, including eight children, have testified in the inquest, which began on Sept 3. The inquest proceedings will resume tomorrow with a child witness.

Zara Qairina died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was buried at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Sipitang the same day. She was admitted to the hospital a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at the hostel of her school, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha, in Papar at 4am.

On Aug 8, the AGC ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem, before announcing an inquest into her death on Aug 13.

- Bernama

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