Drug content found in Jong Nam ‘within range’

SHAH ALAM: Samples of Kim Jong-Nam’s remains and medication he had taken revealed that the drug content was within therapeutic range, without any signs of overdose following tests at the Chemistry Department, the High Court learnt.

The 23rd witness at the trial, Dr K. Sharmilah, 48, a toxicologist with the Chemistry Department, said despite JongNam consuming medicine for diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, gout and erectile dysfunction, the drugs within his system were not high enough to kill him.

Questioned by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari, she revealed that among the drugs found in Jong-Nam’s body were amplodipine to treat blood pressure, allopurinol for gout and metformin for diabetes.

During cross-examination, Sharmilah also agreed with defence counsel Gooi Soon Seng’s comment that atrophine is an antidote for organophosphate insecticides and nerve agents such as VX poison.

She confirmed that Jong-Nam had carried a bottle containing 12 white tablets identified as atrophine in his backpack.

However, she was unable to identify the tablet bottle on site as they were labelled in the Korean language.

Meanwhile, 24th witness in the trial CID special operations officer ASP Nasrul Hamzah, 39, told the court that he had questioned second suspect Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 29, with two female officers at the Sepang district police headquarters at 10.30am on Feb 15.

Speaking to her in simple English, he said that Doan eventually led them to Room 410 at the Sky Star Hotel at Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, where she was staying.

He said Doan informed them that three Koreans who were with her during the murder were putting up at the Concorde Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan, with four others still at large, were charged with the murder of Kim Chol, 45, at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) departure hall at 9am on Feb 13 this year.

Jong-Nam, who travelled with a passport bearing the name of Kim Chol, died while on the way to the Putrajaya Hospital.