Kim Jong-nam murder trial resumes today
SHAH ALAM: The trial of two foreign women who were charged with murdering Kim Chol or Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, will resume today at the High Court here.
It will be held before Judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin, during which the plea from both the accused would be recorded.
Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, were charged with four others still at large with the murder of Kim Chol, 45, at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) departure hall at 9 am on Feb 13 this year.
They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction. The prosecution would call 30 to 40 witnesses, among others, 10 expert witnesses, who include expert on VX nerve agent, as well as a few foreigners.
Last July 28, Justice Azmi fixed 23 days, from Oct 2 until Nov 30 for the trial, with 11 days of the hearing in October and the remaining 12 days in November.
Selangor prosecution director Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad is leading the prosecution team, while lawyer Gooi Soon Seng is representing Siti Aisyah, and lawyers Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and Datuk Naran Singh to act for Doan.
Siti Aisyah and Doan were first charged with the offence on March 1 at the Sepang Magistrate’s Court. However, no plea was recorded from both the accused as capital punishment comes under the jurisdiction of the High Court.
The case was then transferred to the Shah Alam High Court on May 30.
It was reported that Jongnam was at klia2 on Feb 13 to board a flight to Macau when two women approached and suddenly wiped his face with toxic liquid, which was later identified as the VX nerve agent. Jong-nam, who travelled with a passport bearing the name of Kim Chol, died while on the way to Putrajaya Hospital. He came to Malaysia on Feb 6. - Bernama