PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal will deliver its verdict today on appeals related to the high-profile murder case of former Cradle Fund chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan.
A three-member bench led by Judge Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera is expected to decide on the prosecution's appeal against the acquittal of Samirah Muzaffar and two teenagers who were previously accused in the case.
The two other judges on the panels are Datuk Ahmad Zaidi Ibrahim and Datuk Azhahari Kamal Ramli.
The court is also expected to rule on the trio's appeal challenging certain findings of fact by the High Court, including the finding that the fire which broke out in Nazrin's room was "done deliberately".
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, representing Samirah and the two teenagers, completed his submission on Oct 23 last year, while the prosecution led by Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Yusaini Amer Abdul Karim completed their submission on Oct 17.
Shafee submitted that there was no low burn or seeping of petrol in the areas that were said to have petrol.
The prominent lawyer said the demise of the deceased (Nazrin) was a tragic accidental death and not murder.
He said the defence has unveiled compelling evidence and testimonies of witnesses which disprove the allegation of incendiary fire, the alleged finding of petrol and the various elements of the murder charge.
Shafee pointed out that the prosecution has not presented any credible evidence, let alone circumstantial evidence pointing to the irresistible conclusion that the accused persons had committed the murder.
Meanwhile, Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Yusaini Amer Abdul Karim submitted that since the three respondents were the last persons seen with the deceased, it was reasonable to infer that they had the opportunity to kill him.
Yusaini Amer also submitted that the High Court judge had erred in not finding out who was with the deceased between 11.30pm on June 13, 2018, and 12.46pm the following day.
On June 21, 2022, the Shah Alam High Court freed Samirah, 49, who is also Nazrin's widow, and two teenagers, who are now 22 and 19, of murdering Nazrin after finding that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the trio at the end of its case.
The three of them and an Indonesian woman, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, were charged with killing Nazrin, 45, at his house in Mutiara Damansara between 11.30 pm on June 13, 2018, and 4 am the following day.
On June 30, last year, Samirah and the teenagers filed an appeal to challenge certain findings of facts by the High Court, including the findings that the fire that broke out in Nazrin's room was "done deliberately".