Kota Kinabalu: The mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir is among the final three witnesses scheduled to testify when the inquest into the 13-year-old student’s death resumes in October.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan set Oct 6 to 23 to hear testimony from Zara’s mother Noraidah Lamat, stepsister Malianah Mahathir, and the investigating officer over a three-week period.
The court also fixed Oct 5 at 10am to conduct a site visit (locus in quo) at the religious school where Zara studied, with all parties required to attend ahead of formal proceedings resuming the following day.
During proceedings, counsel Shahlan Jufri, representing Noraidah, requested that selected child witnesses be present during the site visit and undertook to submit their names by Monday if more time was required.
About 80 witnesses, including experts, teachers, police, students, and parents, have testified so far in the proceedings to establish the cause of death of Zara, who was found beneath her hostel building on July 16, 2025, and died in hospital the following day.
