Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan said the inquest is being conducted lawfully in line with Sabah’s procedures and that the applicant has no locus standi, as he is not a party to the case, Bernama reported.

He also noted that testimony from 56 witnesses had already been recorded, in objecting to the review bid by Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ekonomi Semangat Bersatu Malaysia (Pembela) chairman Jeffry Rosman.

Jeffry, who filed for the judicial review on Nov 21, had argued that the inquest was not conducted according to Sabah’s inquest laws.

He claimed that it was wrongly held under the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) instead of Sabah’s Inquest Ordinance 1959, which he said rendered the proceedings invalid because of jurisdictional and procedural errors.

Shamsul was quoted as saying outside the Kota Kinabalu High Court today that Justice Celestina Stuel Galid fixed Jan 7 next year for e-review and also directed the AGC to file its submissions by Dec 17, with the applicant to file a reply by Dec 31.

At the same hearing, lawyers Ram Singh, Joan Goh and Shahlan Jufri, representing parties involved in the case, informed the court of their intention to be admitted as interested third parties.

Meanwhile, lawyer Jul Hamri Jumhani, acting for the applicant, informed the court of his client’s absence from today’s proceedings.

This prompted the judge to admonish him and emphasise that the matter must be treated with due seriousness, as today’s session marked the first occasion the case was heard before the judge.

The inquest into Zara’s death was ordered by the AGC on Aug 13 after going through the investigation report submitted by the police.

Zara, 13, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school’s hostel in Papar.