Lawyer for Kim murder accused slams ‘unethical’ authorities

KUALA LUMPUR: A lawyer for one of two women charged with assassinating Kim Jong-Nam accused Malaysian authorities Monday of an “unethical” failure to share documents vital to the defense.

Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, have been charged with the murder of Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February.

Police accuse them of wiping the banned nerve agent VX on Kim Jong-Nam’s face as he was about to board a flight to Macau, where he was living in exile.

South Korea accuses North Korea of masterminding the killing, a charge it denies.

Both women, who face the death penalty if convicted, are scheduled to appear Tuesday before a lower court as part of pre-trial proceedings.

They have denied the charges, saying they were duped into believing they were taking part in a stunt for a TV reality show.

Gooi Soon Seng, chief lawyer for Siti Aisyah, said police and state prosecutors have yet to give the defense the airport closed- circuit television ( CCTV) footage of the assassination or the autopsy report on Kim.

“Of course this is very frustrating. I have sent so many requests and reminders but not a single reply. It is highly unethical and unfriendly,” he told AFP.

The CCTV footage and the autopsy report are important in preparing a defense, Gooi said.