KOTA KINABALU: A teacher from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha has revealed that findings from five internal investigations into Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death were not submitted to the police.
The school's assistant head of discipline, Nurul Syahadah Ibrahim, 38, said the reports were not submitted to the authorities as they were deemed internal records, notwithstanding the school's confidence in the police's investigative capabilities.
The 54th witness testified that these inquiries were conducted by the school on July 16 and 17 and again on Aug 4, 5, and 13, involving several students, including the five pupils identified as the last to have seen Zara Qairina.
She was being examined by deputy public prosecutor and conducting officer, Mohd Fairuz Johari, during the inquest into Zara Qairina's death before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Nurul Syahadah further admitted that the findings of all five internal investigations were never formally reported to the school principal, but were instead referred to the assistant principal of student affairs.
"At that time, the principal was occupied with liaising with various parties, including the District Education Office and State Education Department," she said.
When questioned by Rizwandean M Borhan, counsel representing Zara Qairina's mother, the witness testified that the findings were not disclosed to the deceased's mother to prevent speculation.
"We wished to avoid giving rise to any speculation. I had no ill intent in this matter; I am also a mother myself... I disagree with the suggestion that we deliberately concealed this information from Zara Qairina's mother," she said.
Recalling her memories of the deceased, Nurul Syahadah said that while she never taught the student any subjects, she had received a pencil case as a gift from her during Teacher's Day celebrations on May 20.
"I rarely interacted with her, so I was surprised to receive the gift. The school's discipline unit had never taken any disciplinary action against her. She had also expressed interest in joining the Dakwah and Rohani (Badar) Society.
"I was informed of this matter by a student on July 17, after her passing. To the best of my recollection, approximately one week before the incident, she had expressed an intention to meet with me regarding becoming a Badar member.
"This remains a positive memory, as it was unprecedented for a student to express such an interest," she testified.
Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4am.
The Attorney General's Chambers ordered her remains exhumed for a post-mortem on Aug 8, before announcing a formal inquest into her death on Aug 13.
The inquest proceedings will resume on Friday (Nov 28). – Bernama
