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THE Committal proceedings against former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal were temporarily adjourned on Wednesday by the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court, pending the outcome of a judicial review at the High Court.
The proceedings relate to statements made by Mohd Shafie regarding the inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, which the prosecution alleges may have interfered with the inquest.
Presiding Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan made the ruling after hearing preliminary objections from the defence concerning forum and jurisdictional issues.
Regarding the first objection, which questioned whether the order to commence committal proceedings should have been issued by the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court rather than the Papar Coroner’s Court, the judge described this as a technical error that did not affect the proceedings’ validity.
On the jurisdictional challenge, the court held that, given the potential custodial implications of committal proceedings, it is appropriate to defer them until the judicial review clarifies the applicable law concerning the inquest.
The court emphasised that the adjournment pertains solely to the committal proceedings and does not affect the ongoing inquest into Zara Qairina’s death.
The court scheduled 27 March for parties to provide updates on the judicial review via Zoom, and Mohd Shafie’s physical attendance has been waived.
He is represented by senior counsel Chen Ket Chuin KC, alongside Jakariya Ab Jalil and Bartholomew Jingulam, while the proceedings are conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalan.
For context, Mohd Shafie, who is also the President of Parti Warisan and the Semporna Member of Parliament, previously described Zara Qairina’s death as a “murder” during a speech in Sandakan last year and questioned both police and forensic pathology procedures.
Zara Qairina, a Form One student, was found unconscious on 16 July 2025 beneath a hostel building at an Islamic secondary school in Papar and pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The inquest into her death, which began on 3 September 2025, is ongoing. - February 11, 2026