Malaysian court to rule on women accused of killing brother of North Korean leader

[webfact]

Malaysian court to rule on women accused of killing brother of North Korean leader

 

File Picture: Indonesian Siti Aisyah, who is on trial for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, is escorted as she arrives at the Shah Alam High Court on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia January 22, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

 

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian court will decide on Thursday whether to continue hearing a case against two women charged with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, or acquit them.

 

Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese, could face the death penalty on charges of murdering Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with VX, a nerve agent banned by the United Nations, at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 last year.

 

The women, both in their 20s, are the only suspects in custody and have pleaded not guilty, saying they thought they were involved in a prank for a reality TV show. Four North Koreans also charged in the killing have fled Malaysia.

 

The prosecution made closing arguments in June at a court on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, based on testimony from 34 witnesses. Trial judge Azmi Ariffin set Thursday to rule on whether to acquit the women or ask them to enter their defence.

 

"My gut is telling me the defence will be called," said the prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.

 

"The most key thing is they had VX on them and VX was shown to have killed Kim Jong Nam. So they have to explain the connection there."

 

Expert witnesses testified that traces of VX were found on the clothing of both women. Video recordings played in court showed them meeting the four fugitives at the airport before the attack. They also show Huong appearing to smear something on Kim Jong Nam's face.

 

If the judge decides the evidence is insufficient, the case will be dismissed and both women acquitted and deported.

 

Defence lawyers say the killing was politically motivated, with many key suspects linked to the North Korean embassy in the Malaysian capital, suggesting the women were simply pawns.

 

Siti Aisyah's lawyer Gooi Soon Seng has called the evidence against his client "flimsy and circumstantial" as it relied only on the security footage and the traces of VX on her.

 

There was no clear footage of Siti Aisyah smearing Kim's face. The recordings show only a blurry image of someone the prosecution identified as Siti Aisyah hurrying from the scene.

 

Huong's lawyer, Hisyam Teh, said his client's conduct after the incident was that of an innocent person, citing CCTV recordings which showed her returning to the scene of the crime two days later, when she was arrested.

 

"We are very confident that tomorrow justice will be served," Hisyam told Reuters, adding that his client had been consistent and cooperative in her police statements.

 

"The judge cannot ignore the evidence before him."

 

Pyongyang has denied accusations by South Korean and U.S. officials that Kim Jong Un’s regime was behind the killing.

 

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-16

[DoctorG]

Manslaughter with a low sentence would seem appropriate if the case is as reported.

[yellowboat]

26 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Manslaughter with a low sentence would seem appropriate if the case is as reported.

Hard to say.  They looked utterly duped, which gives them benefit of the doubt.  In my opinion, that weighs heavily on Malaysian law.   Given that the criminal element lost the election, my guess the defendants  will be handled gently.  It will be a defining verdict all the same.

[Get Real]

Verdict: You are hereby awarded the biggest gold medal the country can afford.

[webfact]

Malaysian court tells women charged in killing of North Korean to enter defence

 

Indonesian Siti Aisyah, who is on trial for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, is escorted as she arrives at the Shah Alam High Court on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

 

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian judge on Thursday ruled that a trial against two women charged with the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would continue, and asked them to enter their defence.

 

Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese, face the death penalty on charges of murdering Kim Jong Nam by smearing his face with VX, a nerve agent banned by the United Nations, at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 last year.

 

Judge Azmi Ariffin accepted the prosecution's case that the women, in common intention with four individuals still at large, had caused the death of Kim Jong Nam.

 

"I must therefore call upon them to enter their defence on their respective charges," he added.

 

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-16

[Ulic]

No intent and no reckless action. Not sure why they were even charged. The North Koreans responsible have fled the country. Not sure why but these two are just scapegoats. Hopefully, common sense will prevail in the end.

[Briggsy]

2 minutes ago, Ulic said:

No intent

The prosecution claim to have evidence to the contrary.

 

3 minutes ago, Ulic said:

no reckless action

This one is easier to refute. "Just go and smear this unidentified substance on some guy's face - in an airport. Don't get it on yourself though. We're North Korean, by the way. Oh, and definitely keep it away from us." Sounds very reckless to me.

 

This case is not such a cut-and-dried acquittal as you might think.

[car720]

2 hours ago, Briggsy said:

The prosecution claim to have evidence to the contrary.

 

This one is easier to refute. "Just go and smear this unidentified substance on some guy's face - in an airport. Don't get it on yourself though. We're North Korean, by the way. Oh, and definitely keep it away from us." Sounds very reckless to me.

 

This case is not such a cut-and-dried acquittal as you might think.

Not so sure of that.

I, myself, have paid quite willing females to do much worse on the pretense that it was a practical joke.

Let's face it they are not usually mechanical in their thinking.  They dance to a different tune in just about every circumstance.  Especially when there is money involved.  If not then why was Patpong such a huge success story.

[BoganInParasite]

My intuition is that they were indeed misled.

[Trouble]

7 hours ago, Briggsy said:

The prosecution claim to have evidence to the contrary.

 

This one is easier to refute. "Just go and smear this unidentified substance on some guy's face - in an airport. Don't get it on yourself though. We're North Korean, by the way. Oh, and definitely keep it away from us." Sounds very reckless to me.

 

This case is not such a cut-and-dried acquittal as you might think.

Let's hope they are not acquitted. If they are indeed the people who smeared the stuff on Kim, then they are guilty of murder, whether paid to do it , duped or not.  

[Briggsy]

9 hours ago, Trouble said:

If they are indeed the people who smeared the stuff on Kim

They have admitted this part and it is on video. Their defence is that they were misled into believing it was a prank for tv.

[TPI]

19 hours ago, Trouble said:

Let's hope they are not acquitted. If they are indeed the people who smeared the stuff on Kim, then they are guilty of murder, whether paid to do it , duped or not.  

Oh, by the way, you're late for your appointment at the award ceremony of the  "humanitarians of the world" society ...I don't think!  ?