Shafie Apdal sentenced to five weeks in jail for contempt of court

Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd. Shafie Apdal has been sentenced to five weeks in prison after being found guilty of contempt of court. The charge relates to statements he made regarding the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir.

Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan granted Apdal, who is also the President of Parti Warisan, a stay of execution for the sentence while he appeals the decision at the High Court. The contempt charge arose from remarks Apdal reportedly made at an event in Kinabatangan last September. He allegedly described Zara's death as a 'murder' and questioned the authorities' handling of the case while the inquest was still underway.

In October last year, the Attorney General obtained court permission to initiate proceedings against Apdal. Zara, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar. The inquest to determine the cause of her death is ongoing.