THE legal team representing the family of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir has asked the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) to issue a statement regarding the prosecution of five teenagers in connection with bullying at the Children's Court, in Kota Kinabalu today.
Lawyer Hamid Ismail said the AGC's statement was necessary following a gag order issued by the court to prevent any information in the proceedings from being disclosed to the public.
He said his party also could not share what happened in court following the gag order to avoid 'contempt of court'.
He explained that the order was not to hide anything or protect VIPs, but rather due to legal provisions.
"Many things cannot be disclosed according to Section 15 of the Children's Act ... nothing can be disclosed including during the investigation or proceedings in court.
"It's not because of VIPs or there are things being hidden, it's because of the law that prohibits it.
“So we hope the AGC can provide a statement regarding this matter,” he said when met by the media outside the court.
Hamid also apologized for not being able to reveal anything that happened in today’s court proceedings.
“We cannot talk about what happened inside because there is a gag order. So, we apologise.
“If it’s other matters, we can answer, but for today’s proceding, we are not allowed. Because of the existence of Section 15 and also the gag order,” he said. - August 20, 2025
