Court told Vietnamese did first ‘prank’ in Hanoi

SHAH ALAM: The High Court was told yesterday that Vietnamese woman Doan Thi Huong , who was charged with murdering Kim Chol or Kim Jong-nam, the estranged halfbrother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was introduced by a friend to a man looking for a woman to act in a film in December 2016, about two months before Kim Chol’s death.

Doan’s lawyer, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, said this when reading out an affidavit and a statutory declaration by Nguyen Bich Thuy, who was Doan’s colleague at Seventeen Bar, Hanoi, Vietnam, between 2014 and May 2016.

According to Nguyen, she introduced Doan to a man of Korean and Vietnamese blood by the name of “Li” on Dec 27, 2016.

“The man said he came to Vietnam to look for a woman actor and asked when I wanted to act in his film. However, I turned down the offer as I have a family and a young child.

“I then remembered Doan who liked to act and got her telephone number from a friend before contacting her to inform about it,” she said.

Based on the statutory declaration, the court was told that Nguyen overheard a conversation between Li and Doan where Li asked Doan to dress beautifully and walk infront of someone before pouring liquid on the person’s head.

“Li told Doan that she did not need to be highly skilled, but to go to several countries, including Laos, Thailand, Korea and Malaysia to shoot the film. Li also said he would get a visa for Doan, as well as a chance for her to travel and receive monthly salary,” she said.

Investigating officer ASP Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz agreed to all that was read out by Hisham on the 32nd day trial of Kim Chol’s murder case.

Siti Aisyah, 26, who is an Indonesian, and Doan, 29, were charged with four others still at large, with murdering Kim Chol, 45, at the Departure Hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 ( klia2) at 9am on Feb 13, 2017.

Wan Azirul Nizam, who is the ninth witness, also agreed that Doan did her first ‘ prank’ in Hanoi in December 2016 by attempting to give a surprise kiss to a 45-year- old man.

Hisyam: Are you prepared to go to Vietnam to interview Nguyen, who is an important witness in this case?

Wan Azirul Nizam: I’m prepared to go if there is instruction from the Royal Malaysia Police and the prosecution.

Wan Azirul Nizam also told the court that he disagreed with Hisyam that Kim Chol’s death was a ‘political assassination’.

The hearing before judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin continues today. — Bernama