(Kota Kinabalu, July 30) The contempt of court case against Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has reached its conclusion, but the inquest that gave rise to it has not. As the Kota Kinabalu Magistrates' Court found Shafie Apdal in contempt of court today and sentenced him to five weeks in jail — a sentence stayed pending his High Court appeal — the inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Kaleyna Mahadi continues, with its next hearing scheduled for August 24, 2026.
The Ruling
Magistrate Amir Shah Amir Hassan convicted Shafie under Section 99A of the Subordinate Courts Act 1948 and Rule 52 of the Courts of Judicature Rules 2012, finding the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt. Shafie, 68, the former Sabah Chief Minister, Warisan chairman and Semporna MP, was sentenced to five weeks in prison, below the statutory maximum of six weeks and a RM300 fine. The sentence was stayed on his application, with a High Court appeal to follow.
The Remarks
On September 20, 2025, while the inquest into Zara Kaleyna's death was being heard by Magistrate Amir Shah, Shafie appeared at a public event in Keningau and told those present that the girl had been killed — "this child was killed" — and questioned the judicial process with remarks about the purpose of the inquest and the absence of justice. The full video was played in open court.
Key Findings in the Judgment
Magistrate Amir Shah's judgment held that freedom of expression could not protect the remarks. He found that the speech had publicly delivered a verdict of murder on the very matter the inquest was established to determine, before the court had concluded its work. This was, in his words, a serious contempt that undermined the integrity and authority of the administration of justice. He found that stating "this child was killed" pre-judged the inquest's central question, while the questioning of justice and the inquest's purpose affected judicial proceedings negatively. The magistrate also noted that Shafie had done nothing to remove or correct the remarks after the fact — allowing the content to remain in public circulation — which compounded the contempt. He was explicit that whether the coroner had been influenced was not the issue; the making of public remarks during an active inquest was itself the conduct that constituted contempt. The court held that the remarks created a real and substantial risk of interfering with the administration of justice and eroding public trust in the judiciary.
Background: The Zara Kaleyna Case
Zara Kaleyna Mahadi, 13, a Form One student at a religious secondary school in Papar, was found unconscious near a dormitory drain on July 16, 2025. She died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17, 2025. The inquest into her death began on September 3, 2025. It remains in progress, with the next hearing date set for August 24, 2026. No official cause of death has yet been determined.
Stay and Appeal
The five-week sentence was stayed on Shafie's application. Deputy public prosecutors Mustapha P Kunjan and Nadia Izha led the prosecution; lawyers Zakaria Abdul Jalil and Chan Keh Choon represented Shafie.
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*备注：本文件共17篇——12篇华文（每篇约600-1000字），5篇英文（每篇约500-900字）。所有文章均以（亚庇30日讯）/ (Kota Kinabalu, July 30) 格式开头。每篇标题均不同。每篇均涵盖：沙菲益被判监禁5周、暂缓执行待上诉、涉案言论内容（"这名孩子是被杀害的"）、扎拉·凯丽娜案背景、法官判词要点五大要素。参考来源仅供内部使用，请勿放入任何已发布文章之中。*