Thread: Kim Jong-nam: Indonesian woman freed in murder case

The Indonesian woman accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader, has been freed after charges against her were dropped.

Siti Aisyah had been accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Mr Kim's face in Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017.

She and her co-accused, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, deny murder and say they thought they were part of a TV prank.

After several months of delay, the defence phase of the trial was set to begin Monday, with testimony from Ms Huong.

However, the prosecutor in the case requested the murder charge for Siti Aisyah be dropped, without giving a reason.

In a letter to the Indonesian law minister though, Malaysia's attorney general explained the decision was taking into account considerations Jakarta raised about the case as well as the good relations between the two countries.

The judge approved the request, saying "Siti Aisyah is freed", according to AFP news agency. However, this does not amount to an acquittal.
Ms Aisyah could have faced the death penalty if convicted.

"I feel happy. I did not know this will happen. I did not expect it," AFP cites Ms Aisyah saying as she left the court.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Head, who is at the court in Kuala Lumpur, says there appears to have been less evidence against her than against her Vietnamese co-defendant.



https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47520443

Kim Jong-nam murder: Malaysia rejects suspect's release plea



Malaysian authorities have rejected a plea to drop the murder case against Doan Thi Huong, the Vietnamese woman accused of killing the half-brother of North Korea's leader.

Vietnam had been pushing for her release, and the decision comes days after her Indonesian co-defendant, Siti Aisyah, was unexpectedly freed.

Both women insist they are innocent.

Kim Jong-nam was assassinated with liquid VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017.

Ms Huong says she was tricked into taking part and believed she was part of a TV prank.

The 30-year-old, who could face the death penalty if convicted, sobbed in court when it was announced that her trial would go ahead.

She told reporters: "Only God knows that we did not commit the murder. I want my family to pray for me," AFP news agency reports.

Her lawyer said she had been unable to sleep since the unexpected release of Siti Aisyah, who flew to Jakarta the day she walked free from court.

Ms Huong, who arrived at court in a bulletproof vest and red headscarf, has already been on trial for a year and a half.

The presiding judge ruled that the case would continue, but adjourned it until 1 April as the defendant was not "physically and mentally" well enough to continue with the proceedings.

Vietnam's government said it was disappointed by the outcome of the hearing.

"We regret the fact that the Malaysian court did not set free Doan Thi Huong immediately," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

Earlier Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh asked Malaysia to "ensure a fair trial for Huong and set her free". Vietnam's justice minister had also written to Malaysia's attorney-general asking for her release.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47564782

In a letter to the Indonesian law minister though, Malaysia's attorney general explained the decision was taking into account considerations Jakarta raised about the case as well as the good relations between the two countries.

Which implies Vietnam didn't ask properly or they aren't very friendly with Malaysia.

Justice is supposed to be blind, isn't it?

Kim Jong-nam murder: Vietnamese woman pleads guilty to lesser charge



A Vietnamese woman accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of causing hurt by potentially deadly means.

A Malaysian court sentenced Doan Thi Huong to three years and four months in jail, starting from her arrest in February 2017.

She is likely to be freed in May, said her lawyer.

Ms Huong would have faced the death penalty if found guilty of the murder.

Mr Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur Airport in 2017 in broad daylight, with the toxic nerve agent VX.

The development effectively means no-one has been held accountable for Mr Kim's death.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47769962

The development effectively means no-one has been held accountable for Mr Kim's death.

Notably the fat bastard that ordered it.

^Exceptionally, this time not the dangerous Mr. P.

Kim Jong-nam: Vietnamese woman freed in murder case



The Vietnamese woman accused of the 2017 killing of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader, has been released, her lawyer says.

Doan Thi Huong accepted a deal with Malaysian prosecutors last month and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of "causing injury".

Ms Huong and Indonesian Siti Aisyah were accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Mr Kim in Kuala Lumpur airport.

Both women denied murder and said they thought they were part of a TV prank.

They said they were tricked into carrying out the killing as innocent victims of an elaborate North Korean plot.

Ms Huong is expected to fly back to Vietnam later on Friday.



Full article here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48142871

An interesting point in this case that wasn't widely reported was the fact that fat boys brother was carrying over $100k in cash, guessing someone had recently paid him off for "something"

Originally Posted by Neverna

smearing VX nerve agent on Mr Kim

It obviously worked much better than the Novichok in Salisbury. And/or no first-class nurse officer immediately on hand?