Kim Chol had low muscle-controlling enzyme — Pathologist

SHAH ALAM: A pathologist told the High Court here yesterday that Kim Chol (or Kim Jong-nam), the estranged half-brother of North Korean Leader Kim Jongun, had low levels of the enzyme, cholinesterase due to exposure to a nerve agent poison.

Dr Norashikin Othman, from the Pathology Department of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, who conducted the analysis on Kim Chol’s enzyme sample said the level of cholinesterase was low at 344 units per liter (UL).

The normal range of the enzyme for males was between 5,320 UL and 12,290 UL units, said the fifth witness of the case.

“The level of the enzyme, cholinesterase in Kim Chol’s body could have been caused by exposure to pesticides or nerve agent poison,” she said in reply to a question from Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin on why the enzyme level was low in Kim Chol.

Dr Norashikin was testifying in the trial of Indonesian national Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, who are charged with four others still at large, with the murder of Kim Chol, 45, at the departure hall of the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) at 9am on Feb 13 this year.

Dr Norashikin said the level of cholinesterase in Siti Aisyah was 6,781 UL while in Doan, it was 7,163 UL, and that both levels were normal.

The enzyme, she said, served to break apart the neurotransmitter which sent signals to the muscles and nerves to contract, and be in a relaxed state.

“The balance between the functions of the neurotransmitter and the enzyme cholinesterase is necessary to ensure that the process of contraction is at a normal level. If there is enzyme is at a low level in the body, a person’s muscles and nerves can be in continued state of contraction,” she said.

In answer to a question from Wan Shaharuddin on the link between fits and muscle contraction, she said fits were a sign of continued muscle contraction, with continued saliva secretion.

On Monday, the third witness in the case, Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohd Sofi, a medical assistant at Klinik Perubatan Menara in klia2, testified that a person known as ‘Kim Chol’, according to his passport, seemed to have suffered fits while at the clinic as he lowered his head, as saliva and nasal fluid flowed, and his hands shook.

Dr Norashikin, 44, who is a specialist in chemical pathology, specifically clinical toxicology, said she conducted laboratory tests for poison on the patient.

Asked to explain the nerve agent, she said it was a man-made chemical substance comprising various chemicals.

Wan Shaharuddin: Why do we use the term ‘nerve agent’?

Dr Norashikin: We use the term ‘nerve agent’ because it can affect the nervous system in the human body.

Wan Shaharuddin: Can you tell us what nerve agents are there in the world?

Dr Norashikin: Nerve agents are divided into the V series such as ‘VX’ and the ‘G’ series like ‘sarin’.

Wan Shaharuddin: Are the ‘V’ series and the ‘G’ series commonly used as chemical weapons? Dr Norashikin: Yes Dr Norashikin said ‘VX’ could affect the muscles and nerves which control saliva, eyes, lungs and several other organs which can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and frequent urinating. ‘VX’ can also result in excessive sweating and cause the pupils of the eyes to become small,” she said, adding that this was due to the contraction of the muscles which control the pupils.”

She said the effects of a poison depended on various factors including the dosage and level of concentration, as well as type of exposure whether through inhalation and if it was absorbed through the skin or consumed.

“The third (factor) is the duration of exposure to the poison, if it is for a short time, there will be less absorption of the poison, and the fourth is the mechanism used to stop the contamination, such as washing hands and donning protective attire which prevents absorption through the skin such as gloves or taking antidotes which stop the poison,” she added.

She said the antidote for VX was ‘atropine’ which served to stop the effects of excessive neurotransmitters.

Dr Norashikin was testifying on the second day of the trial before Justice Datuk Azmi Ariffin.