Lawyers for women accused of killing Kim Jong-nam claim trial compromised because Malaysia let North Korean suspects flee

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Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, (C) who was detained in connection with the death of Kim Jong-nam, is escorted by Malaysian police for a court appearance. Photo: EPA

Published: 12:52pm, 13 Apr 2017Updated: 10:50pm, 13 Apr 2017

Lawyers for two women charged with the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, complained Thursday their defence has been compromised by Malaysian authorities allowing three North Korean suspects to leave the country.

During pre-trial proceedings at the Sepang Magistrate Court, the lawyers for Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, also said the prosecution had denied requests for copies of statements by the three North Koreans that police recorded just before they were allowed to leave Malaysia on March 30.

Since the three have left the country, “we believe they will not be called as prosecution witness and will not be made available to the defence,” Aisyah’s lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, said.

Those three people are Hyon Kwang-song, 44, the second secretary at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur; Air Koryo employee Kim Uk-il, 37; and 30-year-old Ri Ji-u, alias James.

Indonesian suspect Siti Aisyah, centre, arrested after the death of Kim Jong-nam, is escorted by police officers as she leaves the court. Photo: AP

Doan’s lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik also requested their statements, along with photographs and recordings that Doan took on her two mobile phones, which police confiscated as potential evidence.