THE Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court will determine in July whether to call the stepsister of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir as a witness in the ongoing inquest into her death, following procedural uncertainty that led to the vacating of Monday’s hearing.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan said there was currently no necessity to call the stepsister as a deponent, although he indicated the decision could be revisited after Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, has completed her testimony.
It had initially been understood that the stepsister would testify on Monday, but the hearing was adjourned after confusion arose over whether she or other witnesses were scheduled to appear, leaving the court without any witnesses available for the day.
Conducting officer, deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari told the court that instructions had been received to call the stepsister as a witness, but said the prosecution team was still awaiting confirmation from the coroner regarding her attendance.
“As such, the stepsister was not available today,” Borneo Post reported him saying on Monday.
However, counsel representing Zara’s mother, Shahlan Jufri, argued that there was no relevance in calling the stepsister, noting that she had lived with Zara’s stepmother for only about a month during the latter’s pregnancy.
He further submitted that the stepsister’s evidence would add little to the proceedings, arguing that testimony from a consultant forensic psychiatrist, along with Noraidah’s own statements as one of the interviewees, was already sufficient.
Counsel Nurul Rafeeqa Abdul Mutolip, representing Zara’s father, Mahathir Mohd Hashim, supported the position that the stepsister should not be called.
However, counsel Datuk Ram Singh, representing Student A, argued that the stepsister should still be called either before or after Noraidah’s testimony, while counsel Abdul Fikry Jaafar Abdullah, acting for Students B, C, D and E, also took the view that she should be summoned as a witness.
Coroner Amir Shah later fixed several dates for the continuation of the inquest, including July 13 to 17, August 24 to 28, September 7 to 11, and October 5 to 23.
Expressing frustration over the procedural delay, he said the lack of witnesses had disrupted proceedings despite prior preparation.
“Actually, I am so upset today because there is no witness for today, despite we know the preparation, but before we vacate the day for today, I have given thought on the progress of this inquest.
“Bearing in mind that July will be the first anniversary of Zara’s death and then September is the first year that we started the inquest last year on the 12th of September.
“So now since we have been sitting for 73 days and then we are supposed to continue with witness number 74, what the plan now is I give dates until October, so whether we can finish with all the inquest or not within this time. I think that’s the best that I can provide. Because otherwise the inquest will be dragging,” he said.
The inquest is set to resume on June 23, with expert witnesses expected to be called by Noraidah’s legal team.
Zara, aged 13, was found beneath her school dormitory building on July 16, 2025, and died the following day at hospital.
Her remains were exhumed on August 9, 2025, and a post-mortem examination was conducted on August 10 at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
On August 20, 2025, five minors, identified under pseudonyms Student A to E, were charged with using insulting words against Zara. - June 22, 2026
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