SHAH ALAM: A witness in the murder trial of Cradle Fund chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan told the High Court today that case was changed from sudden death to murder after the initial notification of the incident by firefighters on June 18, 2018.
Abdul Rahim Taha, 59, from the Damansara police station said the initial notification, in the form of a letter from the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department, said that the incident in Nazrin’s bedroom was arson.
“It stated, ‘Arson case, double-storey semi-detached house. Initial investigation found the case of arson. Please investigate the case under Sections 435, 436 and 438 of the Penal Code so any individuals (responsible) can be charged in court’.”
The 33rd witness was answering questions by deputy public prosecutor Siti Rohaida Che Hamid, before Judge Ab Karim Ab Rahman, on Nazrin’s death.
Rahim said he was then ordered by his superior to submit the investigation papers and notification letter to the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters for further action.
“The case was handed over to ASP Mohd Nizam Daud from the Criminal Investigation Department and later classified under Section 302 of the Penal Code,” he said.
In yesterday’s proceedings, Rahim, in his witness statement, said initial police investigation had classified Nazrin’s death as sudden death. This was before the autopsy at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital concluded that the victim died of a complication from a blast injury.
On March 12, 2019, Nazrin’s wife Samirah Muzaffar, 45, a former senior executive at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia, two teenagers aged 17 and 14, and an Indonesian who is still at large, Eka Wahyu Lestari, were charged with killing Nazrin.
They were charged with committing the act at a house in Mutiara Damansara between 11.30 pm on June 13, 2018, and 4 am on June 14, 2018.
The trial will continue on Jan 15.