APEX COURT SETS JAN 5 NEXT YEAR TO HEAR PROSECUTION’S APPEAL IN CRADLE FUND EX-CEO MURDER CASE

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- The Federal Court has set three days starting Jan 5 next year to hear the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of Samirah Muzaffar and two teenagers charged with the murder of former Cradle Fund chief executive officer (CEO) Nazrin Hassan.

Lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, one of the lawyers representing Samirah and the two teenagers, confirmed the appeal hearing will take place on Jan 5, 7 and 9 next year.

The initial hearing, originally set for Nov 10, 11 and 12, had been vacated.

On Feb 8, 2024, the Court of Appeal upheld the Shah Alam High Court’s decision to acquit and discharge Samirah and the two teenagers of the murder charge.

The High Court, on June 21, 2022, ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case, acquitting them without ordering them to enter their defence.

Samirah, 50, who is Nazrin’s widow, along with the two teenagers, now 22 and 19, and an Indonesian woman, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, were charged with killing Nazrin, 45, at his house in Mutiara Damansara between 11.30pm on June 13, 2018, and 4am the following day.

In upholding their acquittal, the Court of Appeal held that there was insufficient evidence to determine the guilt of the accused.

The Court of Appeal also ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove that the fire was deliberately done as there were contradicting evidence from the Chemical Department of Malaysia and the Fire and Rescue Department's investigators.

The Court of Appeal held that the testimony surrounding the petrol and the analysis done on it were not using certified methods and the investigators had skipped crucial steps needed for the analysis of the petrol.

-- BERNAMA