I was never informed about written statements on Zara’s death, says principal

SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha head Shaharoom Hashim says she also did not have time to read the statements as she was occupied with other matters.

Zara Qairina Mahathir died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on July 17, 2025, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school’s hostel in Papar. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha principal Shaharoom Hashim said she was never informed by the school’s disciplinary unit about the existence of written statements by five students regarding the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Testifying at the inquest into Zara’s death at the Kota Kinabalu coroner’s court today, the 47th witness said she was only informed of the internal investigation conducted.

“I was informed that an investigation had been carried out on July 16 at the surau, where the students were questioned. However, the disciplinary unit did not inform me of the written statements,” Harian Metro reported her as saying before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.

On Nov 25 last year, an Arabic teacher at the school said the disciplinary unit had kept a document containing written statements by students about Zara’s death, without revealing it to any party, including police.

Shaharoom said the school’s head warden, Azhari Abdul Sagap, had informed her of the statements after the inquest started on Sept 3.

She said she also did not have the time to read the statements later as she was occupied with hospital matters, forensic procedures, and visits from the authorities.

Zara, 13, a Form 1 student at the school, had been admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 16 after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school’s hostel, and died a day later.

The inquest continues. - FMT