LAHAD DATU: Any statement related to the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir that insults, misleads or attempts to interfere with court proceedings is sub judice, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said, based on discussions with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the inquest, currently being heard at the Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court, is part of the judicial process.
Sub judice is when a matter is under trial, therefore prohibited from public discussion elsewhere.
“If the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) receives complaints, whether from lawyers or members of the public, regarding inaccurate statements, platforms may be asked to remove them,” he said.
Zara Qairina, 13, was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital here on July 17. She had been admitted after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at 4am on July 16.
On Aug 13, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) announced that an inquest would be conducted into her death after reviewing the investigation report submitted by the police.
On Aug 8, the AGC ordered the exhumation of Zara Qairina’s remains to allow for a post-mortem examination.
Five teenage girls were charged at the Kota Kinabalu Children’s Court, Sabah, on Aug 20 under Section 507C(1) of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, for making threatening, abusive or insulting words against Zara Qairina.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a fine, or both, upon conviction.
