SHAH ALAM: A former policewoman today told the High Court here that her statement as a witness to the murder case of Cradle Fund chief executive officer (CEO) Nazrin Hassan is not fabricated.
The 12th prosecution witness, Nur Ronal Ardes Amir, 39, said all the testimonies on her witness statement as well as during cross-examination by lawyers were based on what she saw during the day of the incident, June 14, 2018.
Nur Ronal Ardes was a former police corporal who served in the police patrol unit of Petaling Jaya district police headquarters, she was called in during the incident of a fire on the main bedroom at the top floor of Nazrin’s house at Mutiara Homes, Mutiara Damansara near here.
“I disagree when the lawyer accused me of fabricating the witness statement because, at the time of the incident, I was there. There is no reason for me to fabricate any stories. I do not know the victim (Nazrin) and I do not know the accused (Nazrin’s wife, Samirah Muzaffar).
“I went to the house to provide assistance as requested by the motorcycle patrol unit (URB) because it was reported there was a female victim,” she responded to the question by Selangor prosecution director Datuk Salim Soib@Hamid before Justice Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman.
When she was questioned by Samirah’s lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, on if some of her testimony in court contradicted her earlier written witness statement, the former policewoman disagreed.
Muhammad Shafee: In the testimonies (of other witnesses) in court, we were made to understand that Samirah went upstairs only once to see her husband (but) you mentioned that you did bring her upstairs. I say that you made up the story. You didn’t bring Samirah upstairs. Are you trying to be a hero in this?
Nur Ronal Ardes: I disagree.
Muhammad Shafee: You also stated that you did not know what items that Samirah took when she went to the room, but in your witness statement, you wrote she wanted to pick up some money. You already knew that. So which one is correct? There could only be one correct statement or are both wrong?
Nur Ronal Ardes: I meant Samirah’s son went up (to the burning room) and I didn’t know what he wanted to take.
Muhammad Shafee: In an additional question, you said Samirah took some foreign currency. It was brought to the court that the money was likely being stolen during the fire extinguishing operation. That’s why you made up this story. Are you influenced by the investigating officer? Or to cover up some action by policemen or firemen?
Nur Ronal Ardes: I disagree.
Meanwhile, when Salim asked about when did she realise that her oral testimony contradicted her earlier witness statement, Nur Ronal Ardes said: “After the lawyer spoke to me this morning.”
Nur Ronal Ardes also told the court that she did not suspect any element of crime in the fire until she watched the news on the television.
On March 12, Samirah, 44, a former senior executive at the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO), and two teenagers, aged 17 and 14, were charged, along with Indonesian citizen, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, with Nazrin’s murder.
They are alleged to have committed the offence at a house in Mutiara Homes, Mutiara Damansara, between 11.30pm on June 13, 2018, and 4am on June 14, 2018.
They are charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Act.
The hearing continues next Friday. — Bernama
