KOTA KINABALU: The inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir resumed at the Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court on Tuesday (March 31) with fresh testimony from a child witness.
Lawyer Shahlan Jufri said this week’s proceedings will hear from several witnesses, including children and a psychiatrist from the Health Ministry, reported Sinar Harian.
If the child witness interviews are completed today, the court is expected to proceed to adult witnesses.
To date, 64 witnesses, including children, have testified in the inquest. Zara was found unconscious on 16 July last year and was pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, is represented by a legal team comprising Shahlan Jufri, Rizwandean M Borhan, Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi, Farrah Nasser and Elhanan James.
Her father, Mahathir Mohd Hashim, is represented by Sherzali Herza Asli, Nurul Rafeeqa Afdul Mutolip and Clarice Vyonne Conrad.
Five students involved in the inquest are also represented by separate legal teams. Datuk Ram Singh, Joan Goh and Prem Elmer Ganasan act for student A, while Azhier Farhan Arisin, Abdul Fikry Jaafar Abdullah and Sylvester Kuan appear for the remaining four students.
The inquest is conducted by Sabah State Director of Prosecutions Nahra Dollah, assisted by Deputy Public Prosecutors Mohd Fairuz Johari, Dana Arabi Wazani, Sofia S Sawayan and Dacia Jane Romanus.
