Jong Nam’s 4 passports may be fake, cop tells court

SHAH ALAM:

The investigating officer in the Kim Jong Nam murder case told the High Court today that the passports found on the deceased at the time of his death may have been fake.

ASP Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz said that it raised some doubts when he found the North Korean carrying four passports at the same time.

He was responding to a question from lawyer Gooi Soon Seng, who is representing one of the defendants, Indonesian Siti Aisyah.

Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong have been charged with killing Jong Nam, who is the the estranged half-brother of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un, at the low-cost carrier airport, klia2, on Feb 13.

Jong Nam, who was the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, arrived in Malaysia on Feb 6, and was at klia2 to board a 9am flight to Macau on the day he was killed.

He died on the way to Putrajaya Hospital, sparking a diplomatic row between Putrajaya and Pyongyang.

During the opening statement on Oct 2, the prosecution said it would prove that the two women approached Jong Nam at the airport’s departure hall and sprayed the deadly VX nerve agent on his eyes and face.

Prosecutors told the court the actions of Siti Aisyah and Doan showed that they intended to cause Jong Nam’s death.

Azirul, attached to the Sepang police district headquarters also said he and his colleague from Selangor police headquarters had only managed to record statements from two North Koreans, namely Kim Uk Il and Hyon Kwang Song, on March 23, more than a month after Jong Nam’s death.

Uk Il was Air Koryo’s employee while Kwang Song was the second secretary at the North Korean embassy here.

They were sought for investigations as they were seen with three men still at large, hours after the alleged murder had taken place.

Azirul added that he had also issued arrest warrants for the two men but it could not be presented.

Gooi: You agree that arrest warrants were issued to Uk Il and Kwang Song but that you could not give it to them because they were hiding in the North Korean embassy?

Azirul: Yes.

The officer also said he was not aware that Uk Il and Kwang Song had left the embassy and returned to Pyongyang after their statements were recorded.

Gooi: Did you require any bond for the two?

Azirul: No.

The heating continues tomorrow before Justice Azmi Ariffin.

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Jong Nam’s 4 passports may be fake, cop tells court

ASP Wan Azirul Nizam testifies that it raised some doubt, as he tells court that two N Koreans he questioned had left country before arrest warrant could be served.