KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal will continue serving as Semporna MP and Senallang assemblyman after being sentenced to five weeks’ jail for contempt of court, with the judge granting a stay of execution pending his appeal.
The Parti Warisan president said he had instructed his lawyers to challenge the conviction over remarks linked to the ongoing Zara Qairina Mahathir death inquest.
Shafie said he will continue serving as Semporna MP while challenging the conviction at the High Court.
“The court delivered its decision in the contempt proceedings against me, and I respect the court’s decision,” he said.
“I have instructed my lawyers to file an appeal and will allow the legal process to take its course.”
“My duty to the people remains unchanged,” the former Sabah chief minister added, explaining that the issue was about a young girl whose tragic death touched the hearts and conscience of the nation.
Earlier in the day, Sessions Court judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan when laying down the grounds of judgment, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case against Shafie beyond a reasonable doubt.
Contempt of court under Section 99A of the Subordinate Courts Act 1948 is punishable with up to six weeks’ imprisonment and a maximum RM300 fine, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutors Mustaffa P. Kunyalam and Nadia Izhar prosecuted while Jakariya Ab Jalil and Chen Ket Chuin acted for Shafie.
Shafie was cited for contempt over remarks he made during the ‘Jelajah Inspirasi DSSA P187 Kinabatangan’ event on Sept 20, 2025, where he questioned the lengthy duration of the Zara Qairina inquest.
Zara Qairina, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel.
The inquest into her death is still ongoing.
When contacted, lawyer N. Surendran said Shafie would not be disqualified from continuing to serve as MP due to the provision under Article 48(1)e of the Federal Constitution.
Article 48(1)e states that a person is disqualified from being a MP if they are convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than one year or to a fine of not less than RM2,000 and has not received a free pardon.
“Since Shafie’s sentence of five weeks falls well below the one-year minimum threshold for disqualification set out in the Federal Constitution, he can continue to serve as MP even after serving his sentence,” he said.
State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya said the verdict does not affect Shafie’s assemblyman position at the moment.
