SHAH ALAM, Oct 2 — The defence in the murder trial of Cradle Fund chief executive officer (CEO) Nazrin Hassan told the High Court here today that the statement of the 29th prosecution witness can be described as merely hearsay evidence.
The witness, Eliza Elias, 44, who is also the Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd’s vice president (Marketing and Ecosystem Development), read the witness statement before Judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman.
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in his argument said that the evidence presented by Eliza through her witness statement was also seen as unrelated to the murder case.
“According to paragraph nine (in the witness statement), she said Nazrin told her there were items in his house which were bought abroad — an iPad and laptop that were damaged. Nazrin told her what had happened.
“The witness said (through her witness statement) that she did not know of any development of the issue. On paragraph seven, the witness stated that Nazrin’s son had spent the night at Nazrin’s house but did not like the house. He was there because he did not want to offend Nazrin.
“These facts (as stated in witness statement) have nothing to do with the case (Nazrin’s murder). They are also not related (to that case). I don’t see what they have to do with (the case). She obviously heard them from Nazrin or his son,” he said.
Muhammad Shafee said Eliza through her witness statement also stated that Nazrin had told her that he had used his salary to pay rent, child expenses and credit cards which were not related to the murder case.
“If I do cross-examination, the witness can say that (the information in her witness statement) are what Nazrin had told her,” he said.
In her statement, Eliza, among others, also stated that she knew Nazrin since 2006, that they had worked together in a company before joining the Cradle Fund, she also related the story of her former employer not being a hot-tempered person but being firm, as well as Nazrin’s married life.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Asnawi Abu Hanipah in his argument defended the witness’ statement by saying that all the evidence was factual of what Nazrin had told Eliza apart from to show the relationship between the two.
“These are facts that the witness said she was told by Nazrin. It also about the relationship between Nazrin and the people in his house. It is direct evidence. The court can accept these facts depending on other evidence,” he said.
Judge Ab Karim then ordered that further evidence by the witness be temporarily adjourned for the defence to submit an objection to the court against her witness statement.
On March 12, 2019, Nazrin’s wife Samirah Muzaffar, 45, a former senior executive at the Malaysian Intellectual Property Corporation and two teenagers, aged 17 and 14, together with an Indonesian, Eka Wahyu Lestari, still at large, were charged with Nazrin’s murder.
They were accused of committing the act at a house in Mutiara Damansara between 11.30pm on June 13 and 4am on June 14, 2018.
The trial continues on October 16. — Bernama
