KUALA LUMPUR: The inquest into the death of 13-year-old student Zara Qairina Mahathir is expected to begin at the end of this month or early next month, subject to the availability of the Coroner’s Court and the legal teams involved.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said the Attorney-General’s Chambers (A-GC) would request for the proceedings to be carried out as soon as possible.
“The recorded statements of the forensic pathologists have been taken by the investigating officer. However, the autopsy report on the victim is still being prepared and will be completed shortly, before the inquest hearing begins,” he told Buletin TV3.
On Wednesday, the A-GC ordered an inquest into Zara Qairina’s death. The decision followed an investigation report submitted by police on Aug 12.
Earlier, Zara Qairina’s family lawyer, Hamid Ismail, said the inquest is set for mention tomorrow, with proceedings scheduled for 9am at the Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court.
Hamid added that the inquest date was confirmed today by the Sabah Attorney-General’s Chambers.
The legal process will examine further details surrounding the death of the 13-year-old SMKA Tun Mustapha student.
Zara Qairina was found unconscious at her school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and was pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Her mother, Noraidah Lamat, 45, had initially refused a post-mortem but later requested for her daughter’s grave to be exhumed for reinvestigation. The grave in Sipitang was exhumed on Aug 9, with a post-mortem carried out the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The results were consistent with the initial findings.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
