Several individuals alleged to have bullied Form 1 student Zara Qairina Mahathir — whose death has provoked national outrage — will be brought to court, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) said.
In a statement, the AGC said proceeding with charges against the suspects will not disrupt the inquest into the teenager’s death, which is scheduled to begin on Sept 3. The AGC added that prosecuting the suspects for bullying will not impede the ongoing police investigation into Zara’s death.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar said all five suspects are under 18. He said the charges are expected to be filed at the Kota Kinabalu Children’s Court on Wednesday.
The AGC’s decision to charge the suspects follows comments by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to the Dewan Rakyat that the probe had uncovered elements of bullying, neglect and sexual harassment. Saifuddin said those findings emerged after statements were recorded from 195 witnesses, including Zara’s hostel mates, and described the signs of bullying as “clear.”
Zara was found unconscious at 4am on July 16 after allegedly falling from the third floor of her school hostel in Papar, Sabah. She died at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu the following day.
Her body was exhumed on Aug 9 to permit a post-mortem examination amid allegations of bullying.
