KOTA KINABALU: An Arabic teacher from SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha has revealed that an original document relating to the Zara Qairina Mahathir incident had been kept in the school’s Discipline Unit file without being disclosed.
The revelation left Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan and all parties present shocked and disappointed as the document contained the students’ own account of what happened.
The information surfaced when the 53rd deponent, Nur Shukriah Mohd Fauzi, responded to a question from counsel Farah Nasser during the proceedings on Tuesday.
Following the disclosure, the Coroner decided that the inquest would resume on Wednesday for mention only due to the sudden development.
The document, written by the students on July 17—two days after the incident—had never been submitted to the police.
It also emerged that the document had not been revealed by earlier teacher-witnesses, despite some being aware of its existence.
Given the new evidence, the Coroner directed all parties to obtain and review the document and discuss whether there is a need to recall child witnesses or call other students involved in the school’s internal investigation.
