Experts on nerve agent VX sought by Siti's lawyer
KUALA LUMPUR: A lawyer for one of two women accused of killing the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader said yesterday he was seeking the help of foreign experts to assess the evidence related to the alleged murder weapon - the nerve agent VX.
Indonesian Siti Aishah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, have been charged with murdering Mr Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb 13 by smearing his face with VX, a chemical the United Nations describes as a weapon of mass destruction. They face the death penalty if convicted.
DOCUMENTS
Malaysian prosecutors have handed defence lawyers 44 documents including toxicology, autopsy, arrest reports, the suspects' statements and photographs, the lawyers told a hearing yesterday.
The Shah Alam High Court has set July 28 for mention of the case.
Mr Gooi Soon Seng, Aishah's lawyer, said some of the documents would be sent to experts in Denmark and other countries to get assessments on the alleged use of VX.
"In the post-mortem... they have confirmed that the cause of death was by VX. So we will be looking thoroughly at the VX aspect," Mr Gooi said. He did not elaborate on what particular aspect he wanted the experts to look into.
Mr Gooi said the defence was still awaiting CCTV recordings of the murder, and of "video pranks" that the women had allegedly carried out around Kuala Lumpur.
Mr Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Huong's lawyer, said the defence was also looking for "essential evidence" in Vietnam, but declined to elaborate. - REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now