KOTA KINABALU – The inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir faced another setback on Monday after no witnesses appeared at the Coroner’s Court, following a misunderstanding over the witness schedule.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan expressed clear disappointment when proceedings failed to continue as planned. The court had been scheduled to hear testimony from the late teenager’s half-sister, but the session could not proceed as no witnesses were present.
It is understood that the absence was due to confusion between parties involved regarding which witness was expected to testify on the day. As a result, preparations made by the legal teams did not align with the actual court schedule.
Counsel representing Zara’s mother, Shahlan Jufri, explained that his team had understood the day’s proceedings would focus on the testimony of the half-sister. Based on that understanding, expert witnesses under their preparation were only scheduled to appear later in the week.
“Our understanding is that today will continue with the half-sister’s witness. That is why our expert witnesses are only prepared to appear from Tuesday to Friday,” he said during proceedings.
However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari informed the court that earlier instructions had indicated the step-sister witness might be called, but the matter was still pending the court’s final direction.
Coroner Amir Shah clarified that he had previously indicated there was no need to call the step-sister witness at this stage. He also voiced concern over the repeated delays, noting that the inquest process had already stretched over a long period.
He said the proceedings had so far lasted 73 days and should have moved forward with the 74th witness. He added that careful planning had been made in consideration of key timelines, including the first anniversary of Zara’s death in July and the continuation of the inquest since September last year.
The Coroner further stated that the court now plans to set hearings only up to October in an effort to ensure the inquest can be concluded without further unnecessary delay. He stressed that while it remains uncertain whether all witnesses can be completed within that timeframe, the priority is to prevent the case from dragging on further.
“My current plan is to give a date until October. Whether we can finish all the witnesses or not, that is all,” he said.
Following the brief session, the court was adjourned to allow discussions among all parties to determine the next hearing date.
The inquest is expected to resume once a revised schedule is confirmed by the court.
