Two women involved in Kim Jong Nam's death plead not guilty

The two women who were accused of killing Mr Kim Jong Nam pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial on Oct 2.

The two suspects, Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, were on trial for the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader.

According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), the deputy public prosectuor said in his opening statement that evidence clearly showed that the women had wiped the deadly VX nerve agent on Mr Kim's face, which resulted in his death.

In total, there will be 153 witnesses called during the trial. Mr Gooi Soon Seng, the lawyer for Siti Aisyah, said the prosecution will call 10 experts to testify. 

He told reporters he was sure the four unnamed North Koreans suspected of having links to the case will not appear during the trial.

Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Iskandar Ahmad, who leads the prosecution team, said the prosecution will prove that the two women had a common intention to murder the victim, along with the four men still at large. 

The prosecution would also prove that Siti had practised the prank under the supervision of the four North Korean men, according to Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times.

Mr Kim was assassinated in Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb 13 after the two women smeared the deadly VX nerve agent onto Mr Kim's face. Mr Kim died on the way to the hospital. 

The two women were charged with murder on March 1. They claim they were duped into believing they were taking part in a prank for a reality TV show. 

Over the next two months, prosecutors will lay out their case and the defence is then likely to be called.

Read the rest of the story on The Straits Times.