Kota kinabalu: The committal proceedings against Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal at the Sessions Court here have been stayed pending the outcome of a judicial review at the High Court. The proceedings are connected to remarks allegedly made concerning the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, which is ongoing at the Coroner's Court.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan decided that it would be premature to proceed with the committal action before the High Court determines whether federal or state law applies to the inquest. Although the Sessions Court has the authority to punish for contempt, the judge noted that committal proceedings have penal consequences if the respondent is found guilty.

Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan expressed that the stay is applicable only to the committal proceedings and not to the inquest itself, which will continue before the Coroner's Court. Earlier, the court rejected a preliminary objection raised by the respondent, stating that the issue concerning the forum which granted leave to commence the committal proceedings was technical and not illegal.

The court has scheduled March 27 for mention. On November 21, 2025, Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ekonomi Semangat Bersatu Malaysia (Pembela), a non-governmental organization, sought the High Court's intervention to quash the entire inquest. The organization contends that the inquest should be conducted under Sabah's Inquest Ordinance 1959, which contains procedural safeguards, rather than the federal Criminal Procedure Code. They have requested the court to declare the 1959 Ordinance as the applicable law and to strike out the ongoing proceedings.