Airline staff helped three suspects flee, Jong-nam murder trial told

SHAH ALAM: The High Court here was yesterday told that an Air Koryo staff known as Kim Uk-il had helped three male suspects in the Kim Jong-nam murder case to flee Malaysia.

Sepang/KLIA Police Headquarters senior investigating officer Assistant Superintendent Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz said Kim Uk-il had helped Hong Song Hac alias Mr Chang, Ri Ji Hyon @ Mr Y and Ri Jae Nam @ Hanamori to check in for a flight from the KL International Airport (KLIA) to Jakarta on Feb 13, 2017.

Replying to a question from counsel Gooi Soon Seng, the ninth prosecution witness agreed with a suggestion by the lawyer that Kim Uk-il knew the name of the flight taken by the trio.

On Monday, Wan Azirul Nizam in his testimony had said that the manager of Air Koryo and a representative of the North Korean embassy had helped the three suspects to leave Malaysia by taking a flight to Jakarta, immediately after Jong-nam, who was using the alias Kim Chol, was attacked by two foreign women with the deadly nerve agent VX at the departure hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13. Jong-nam was the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

During cross-examination by the counsel, Wan Azirul Nizam admitted that he could not remember the name of the flight the three had taken because it was not recorded in his investigation diary.

Gooi: If you know which flight, you will know the passenger manifest? Wan Azirul Nizam: True Gooi : Why did you not check the flight manifest for the identities of these three suspects who left Kuala Lumpur?

Wan Azirul Nizam : At the initial stage of the investigation I was not privy to any information on the suspects and who Kim Uk-il was. So it was difficult for me to zero in on that particular passenger manifest because it involved hundreds of names of other passengers.

The witness also admitted that he did receive a copy of the passenger manifest of the plane the three suspects had boarded but till today he could not remember the flight number.

He also agreed with the counsel that it was important to remember the flight details because the passenger manifest was about it.

Earlier, nine specimens belonging to Kim Chol which were kept in a polystyrene box was not opened during the hearing because of a foul smell emitting from it.

Wan Azirul Nizam said the specimens were blood, urine, vitreous humour, as well as the contents of the stomach, gall bladder, lungs, kidney, liver and brain.

While lifting up the white styrofoam box, he said the contents of the specimens belonged to the deceased and they had a strong odour.

“I received the specimens from Dr P. Sharmilah of the Chemistry Department after they had been analysed,” he said during examination-in-chief by leading deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharuddin on the 13th day of the trial of Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnames Doan Thi Huong, 28, who are charged along with four others who are still at large with the murder of the 45-year-old Kim Chol. - Bernama