A MAN who posed as a medical doctor and claimed to be involved in the post-mortem examination of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir will be brought to court, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has confirmed.
“The doctor is fake. He will be charged in court,” Fahmi said during the 2025 Artificial Intelligence Grand Prix Conference held in the capital on Tuesday.
Further details regarding the charges, however, are to be referred to the police, he added.
“The police are the ones who arrested him. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is merely a technical agency,” Fahmi clarified.
The man, operating under the TikTok account ‘Dato Prof Dr Tunku Iskandar’, was summoned by MCMC on 19 August under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which concerns the misuse of network facilities.
If found guilty under the Act, he could face a maximum fine of RM500,000, a jail term of up to two years, or both.
The Royal Malaysian Police are also investigating the case under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.
The controversy erupted after the account in question broadcast a livestream on 10 August, in which the individual claimed to have been present during the post-mortem examination.
Subsequent checks by the Ministry of Health confirmed that the individual is neither a specialist nor an employee of the ministry.
Fahmi had earlier stated that Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad verified the information, based on an official report from Deputy Director-General of Health (Medical), Datuk Dr Nor Azimi Yunus, who consulted the forensic expert assigned to the case.
In a related development, the Sabah PAS Ulama Council (Dewan Ulama PAS Negeri Sabah – DUPNS) has voiced serious concern over unverified reports linking the Sabah Mufti and his deputy to the alleged exhumation of Zara Qairina’s remains.
Amiruddin Mohd Rosdi, Information Chief of DUPNS, said such allegations constitute slander if not substantiated by credible, authoritative evidence.
“The spread of unverified news can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and division within society. Islam places great emphasis on ‘tabayyun’ – the verification of information,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“DUPNS supports the people's right to seek justice and express their voices. However, such freedoms must be exercised prudently, grounded in facts, and must not involve the dissemination of slander or false news.”
He stressed that justice cannot be achieved through another form of injustice.
“To level baseless accusations against any party, particularly religious institutions, only serves to deepen wounds and create further disunity.
“As such, DUPNS calls upon all citizens, especially Muslims, to uphold proper decorum and ethics in the communication of information.” - Sept 2, 2025
