KOTA KINABALU: The chief warden of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha broke down in tears during the inquest into Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death while denying allegations that he or the school protected her alleged bully or killer.
Azhari Abd Sagap, 31, became emotional on the ninth day of proceedings at the Coroner’s Court when addressing criticism from netizens who accused the school of remaining silent about the case.
Testifying as the eighth witness, Azhari stressed that neither he nor the school had ever protected anyone but had instead given full cooperation to authorities by handing over all evidence and statements.
“If we had intended to protect Zara Qairina’s bully or killer, I would not have told the police officer about the alleged theft incident that occurred on the night of July 15,“ he said before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Azhari revealed he personally liaised with police and complied with all requests, including identifying “Kak M” and handing over audio recordings related to the case.
He explained that the teenager being referred to on social media as “Kak M” is not the real person in question but actually a well-behaved pupil who excels academically.
“The accusations against this student are extremely cruel, simply because she was the first person to find Zara Qairina unconscious in the dormitory in the early hours of July 16,“ he said.
Azhari expressed sadness over the criticism directed at him, emphasising he had done everything possible to save Zara Qairina and had fully cooperated with authorities.
“Is this what I deserve? Is this what the school deserves? We have nothing to hide,“ he asked during his emotional testimony.
The witness recounted being present throughout the tragic events, from waiting until Zara Qairina was taken off life support to attending her funeral prayers and burial.
Zara Qairina, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, a day after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar.
The Attorney General’s Chambers ordered the exhumation of her remains for a post-mortem on August 8 and subsequently ordered an inquest after reviewing police investigation reports. – Bernama
