SHAH ALAM: Ri Ji-u, a man whose photo was found in the handphone of Indonesian Siti Aisyah, an accused in the murder of North Korean Kim Chol might still be in Malaysia, the High Court heard.
Assistant Superintendent Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz who was a witness in the murder trial said he was not sure whether the 30-year-old mystery man was still in the country.
"I did not check the record of Ji-u's arrival in the country and when he flew out," he said during cross examination by Siti Aisyah's counsel Gooi Soon Seng.
He was testifying in the trial of Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, who are charged with murdering Kim Chol, along with four others still at large, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2) on Feb 13.
Azirul who was the investigating officer handling the case also testified that he did not know if Ji-u had entered Malaysia via a MAS flight from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Jan 21.
To a question by Gooi on whether investigations on Siti Aisyah's handphone were carried out, Azirul said he did.
However, he disagreed with Gooi that there was a video clip of the man known as Ri Ji-u or James in the accused's handphone.
Gooi: Do you agree that Ri Ji-u is known as James?
Azirul: Yes, I agree.
Gooi: Do you agree that the first accused (Siti Aisyah) told you that she has two photos of James or Ri Ji-u in her handphone?
Azirul: Correct.
Gooi: One photo was taken at the KLCC area while the other one was taken at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)?
Azirul: I agree only on the KLCC photo but I'm not sure about the picture at KLIA.
On the USD 38,000 (RM160,626) seized at North Korean Ri Jong-chol's condominium unit, the witness said that the money was given to the former by four North Korean men to buy soft noodles to be sent to North Korea in October last year.
"According to his (Jong-chol) statement, the money was from one Kim Chun-hui and three others whose names he did not remember," Azirul said when asked by Gooi where Jong-chol got the money from when he was not working.
However, the witness said he did not carry out further investigations on the matter.
Earlier, the court was told that Jong-chol was not working with a company called Tombo Enterprise he claimed to be working with using his work Visa.
Gooi: Do you agree that in Jong-chol's Visa application, it is stated that he is an employee at Tombo Enterprise in which he claimed to be paid RM5,500 monthly?
Azirul: I agree
Gooi: His employer was said to be Chong Ah Kow?
Azirul: True.
Gooi: Do you agree if I say that Chong had never paid him (Jong-chol) a single cent as he had never worked for him?
Azirul: I agree.
Gooi: Do you agree if I say that Chong had stated that Jong-chol is a product development manager in the IT department in the latter's Visa document for formality purposes only. Just on paper.
Azirul: I agree.
On Thursday, Azirul testified that Jong-chol's condominium unit was used as a clandestine laboratory to produce VX nerve agent, a chemical weapon which killed Kim Chol.
He earlier testified that the unit was rented to Jong-chol since May 23, 2015, for RM1,700 monthly which he paid in cash.
Jong-chol was a registered owner of a vehicle used to transport three North Korean suspects still at large from klia2 to KLIA after the incident.
Trial continues tomorrow before judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin.
Kim Chol, 45, who was claimed to be Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was killed using the highly toxic liquid nerve agent VX at klia2 about 9am on Feb 13.