SHAH ALAM, Feb 14 — An elder sibling of Cradle Fund chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan told the High Court here today that he did not inform the police about a death threat his brother had received before his passing in June 2018. 

The 19th prosecution witness in Nazrin’s murder trial, Dr Malek Reedzwan Hassan, said this was because he was confident that the police would somehow get to the bottom of the case. 

Dr Malek Reedzwan said he got to know of the death threat from Nazrin’s personal assistant, whom he knew as Anis. 

“My job was to dig for information for my own personal consumption and was I confident the police would also be investigating the case deeper. 

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“I met Anis as I wanted to find out about possible things that could have led to (Nazrin’s) death. That was on my own initiative,” he said when replying to questions from Deputy Public Prosecutor Ashyraf Ashy'ari Kamaruzaman the trial presided by Judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman. 

Ashyraf Ashy’ari also asked Dr Malek Reedzwan on why he was bent on finding out events that possibly took place before Nazrin’s alleged murder, to which he replied: “When the death (looked) suspicious, without any illnesses involved, there is a longing to know what really happened.” 

Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is representing Nazrin’s wife, Samirah Muzaffar, asked Dr Malek Reedzwan about his relationship with his younger brother. 

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Muhammad Shafee : Throughout Nazrin’s life, your relationship with him was not good, although you claim to meet him once annually. Have you been to his house? 

Dr Malek Reedzwan : I do not agree, and I have never been to Nazrin’s house.  

Muhammad Shafee : There have been a few incidents to show your relationship with Nazri was not good at all. For instance, when you were at the hospital that conducted Nazrin’s post-mortem, you turned angry after not being allowed to snap photographs of his body. True? 

Dr Malek Reedzwan : Yes.

Muhammad Shafee : You wanted to take photographs of his charred body for memories? This despite Dr Aziz (Dr Abdul Aziz Hassan, another older brother of Nazrin’s) also not being able to take pictures after Samirah disallowed him to do so?

Dr Malek Reedzwan : Yes, for memories. 

Muhammad Shafee : And because you could not snap pictures, you became so angry that you went straight home to Johor Bahru and missed your own brother’s funeral prayers and burial?

Dr Malek Reedzwan : Yes. 

Muhammad Shafee : That was very unbecoming of an older brother. You are supposed to pray for him and help in the funeral arrangements. I am now putting to you that those are not the traits of a responsible brother. Agree? 

Dr Malek Reedzwan : I don’t agree. 

Meanwhile, Ashyraf Ashy’ari also touched on Dr Malek Reedzwan’s state of anger and decision to return to Johor Bahru after he was stopped from snapping the photographs and also missing Nazrin’s funeral.

The witness, however, insisted that it only for memories as his brother, before his death, was a successful and good looking person but ended up dying in such a manner. 

“I am a person who is always learning in life. Although we can be intelligent and good looking, but we can end up (dying) like that. (So) why can’t I snap the pictures? It's not as if I wanted to post them on social media. It was for my personal collection. To avoid a fight during a time of anger, the best thing to do was to return home,” he said. 

Samirah, 44, who was also a former senior executive at the Perbadanan Harta Intelek Malaysia, and two of her teenage sons aged 17 and 14 were charged together with an Indonesian national, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, with the murder of Nazrin.

They were charged with allegedly committing the offence in a house at Mutiara Homes, Mutiara Damansara, between 11.30pm on June 13, 2018 and 4am on June 14, 2018.

The hearing continues on May 8. — Bernama