A-GC officers visit HKL mortuary

KUALA LUMPUR: As the countdown to the trial of two women accused of murdering Kim Jongnam begins, preparations by both the prosecution and defence teams are getting more intense.

At the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) mortuary yesterday, two people, believed to be from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, were seen entering the premises about 11am, believed to be part of the pre-trial preparations.

They spent almost four hours at the mortuary where Jongnam’s body is stored, leaving about 2.45pm.

It was not immediately known what exactly the officers did at the mortuary.

When approached by journalists, one of the officers only said: “We came to discuss a trial.”

Efforts to get them to elaborate proved futile as they withdrew upon realising that several cameras were pointed at them.

Two women have so far been charged with murder in connection with the assassination of Jong-nam, the estranged halfbrother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, of Vietnam, face the death penalty should they be convicted of the murder charge under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The two women were alleged to have rubbed a deadly nerve agent on Jong-nam’s face as he was about to check in for a flight at klia2 to Macau on Feb 13.

He died in an ambulance while being taken to Putrajaya Hospital.

Earlier, at 8.30am, a car carrying a forensics officer, believed to be also involved in the case, was seen leaving the mortuary.

Interest in the case seems to be dying down, at least for the moment, if the number of journalists stationed outside the mortuary is anything to go by.

At the height of the case, dozens of journalists were camped across the road from the mortuary, beginning Feb 15 when Jong-nam’s body was transferred to HKL from Putrajaya Hospital.

As the weeks wore on and no new developments were forthcoming, the number of journalists began to dwindle.

This changed when, on March 10, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that investigators had managed to positively identify the body of the North Korean man killed in klia2 as Jong-nam.

The number of journalists stationed outside the North Korean embassy has also dropped as negotiations between Malaysia and North Korea continue.

But the number of journalists outside the embassy and HKL mortuary may soon grow again once the trial of the two women begins or should someone — whether next of kin or embassy officials — make a move to claim Jong-nam’s remains.