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Kota Kinabalu: The legal team representing the mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir said any premature conclusions regarding testimony in the ongoing inquest are inappropriate and risk misleading public perception.

In a statement on Saturday, the team noted media coverage and social media discussions on testimony by the 67th deponent, Dr Chua Sze Hung, and the psychiatric autopsy report presented in the proceedings.

It said the Coroner’s Court has jurisdiction to evaluate all evidence and determine findings based on the entirety of evidence presented throughout the inquest, adding that testimony and reports form only part of the overall evidence yet to be fully presented and tested.

The team said documents referred to in the report, including personal notes such as a diary, are not conclusive and remain subject to verification through forensic expert testimony, with authenticity, ownership and context to be determined through the court’s evidentiary process.

It added that more deponents, including character witnesses and psychiatric experts, are expected to testify, while urging the public to exercise caution in making comments to avoid legal implications and to remain sensitive to the family of Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, during the ongoing proceedings.