The inquest to determine whether any criminal elements were involved in the death of Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir will start on Sept 3 at the Kota Kinabalu coroner’s court.
Sabah state court director Azreena Aziz, who is acting as the coroner, set the dates during case mention today, Berita Harian reported.
The inquest proceedings will take place from Sept 3-4, 8-12, 17-19, and 22-30.
A total of 195 witnesses have been identified for the inquest, which was requested by the Sabah state director of prosecutions.
On Aug 13, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said it had decided that an inquest would be held to establish the cause and circumstances of Zara’s death, including whether any criminal elements were involved.
Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school’s hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital the following day.
Her body was exhumed on Aug 9 to allow for a post-mortem amid allegations of bullying.
