Groups Push For Coroner S Act Amid Questions Over Zara S Death Probe

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Gerakan Guaman Rakyat (Gegar) has reiterated its call for the drafting of a Coroner’s Act to ensure independent investigations into sudden deaths under suspicious circumstances. 
Speaking on a KiniTV podcast interview, Gegar representative Nur Aina Abidah Hamdan said a Coroner’s Act would also serve to function as a protection measure for those who require it, namely family members and witnesses.
“The Coroner’s Act is very important (because) its investigation is separate from the probe done by police.
“This means that a coroner’s court would make its own decision whether there should be a further investigation into a sudden death case.
“(Since) the probe is carried out by a coroner, who is an officer from the judiciary, it won’t be done recklessly. It’s simply an independent investigation,” she said.
On Aug 10, Gegar called for the drafting of new laws to protect boarding school students and guarantee the implementation of transparent investigations, in light of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death in Sabah last month.
In a statement then, Gegar said the law is important for the establishment of an independent coroner to investigate suspicious deaths professionally and transparently. 
It added that the introduction of the Act would also create national forensic standards to ensure evidence handling is carried out according to the highest level.
‘Severe blow’ to justice system
Expressing similar sentiments, Sekretariat Tanahair secretary-general Armin Baniaz Pahamin said Zara’s death should serve as a catalyst for the enactment of a Coroner’s Act.
He said this is because the case has dealt a severe blow to the country’s justice system and raised questions on the integrity of the death investigation processes here.
“With a Coroner’s Act, families of victims would have the legal right to access investigation findings, question witnesses, and meaningfully participate in inquests.
“Forensic integrity would also be strengthened, with autopsies carried out under the coroner’s direction by independent forensic experts, reducing the risk of evidence being manipulated or concealed,” he said in a statement on Aug 14.
Armin added that the law would reinforce forensic integrity through autopsies directed by coroners and performed by independent forensic specialists, thereby minimising risks of evidence tampering or cover-ups.
He also pointed out that other nations have already proven the effectiveness of independent coroner systems, noting that in Singapore, every unnatural death must be reported to a coroner with the authority to order autopsies and summon witnesses.
“Truth is a right, not a privilege, and Zara’s case must be the starting point for long-overdue reform,” he stressed.
Bungled probe
Zara was found unconscious in a drain below her school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and died the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital I in Kota Kinabalu.
Her death, which is suspected to be linked to bullying, has sparked nationwide outrage, with many demanding accountability for the incident as well as stronger measures to counter bullying in educational institutions.
Police have since confirmed that a special task force from Bukit Aman will take over investigations into Zara’s death, while the Attorney-General’s Chambers has ordered an inquest into her death.
The directive for an inquest came after local authorities failed to perform an autopsy, which led to her remains being exhumed for a post-mortem following public uproar.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay today said three senior police officers involved in the preliminary investigation into Zara’s death are suspected of flouting standard operating procedures when investigating the case.  - Mkini

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