Malaysian police chief dismisses North Korea's allegation of delay in releasing body of Kim Jong Nam

Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said as long as DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family have not been obtained, the investigation on the case could not be completed. PHOTO: THE STAR

KUALA LUMPUR (BERNAMA) - Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has dismissed North Korea's allegation that Malaysia was purposely delaying the process to release and send home the body of Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The police chief said as long as DNA samples from Kim Jong Nam's family have not been obtained, the investigation on the case could not be completed.

North Korea, he stressed, must abide by the provisions of the law set by Malaysia, and should seek advice from their lawyers if it disagrees with the action by the police.

"Their lawyers can advise them. We have rules in Malaysia. While in Malaysia, everyone has to obey and follow our rules and regulations...that includes North Korea," he told Bernama on Saturday (Feb 18).

ICP Khalid was commenting on North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol's statement on Friday, accusing Malaysia of deliberately rejecting their claim for the body of Jong Nam.

Kang Chol made the statement to the media in the compound of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, at about 11.45pm on Friday.

Selangor Police chief Datuk Seri Abdul Samah Mat said on Friday that priority to claim the body was accorded to close family members to facilitate identification.

However, to date, only the North Korean embassy has come forward to claim the body.

On Monday, Kim Jong Nam, whose name was stated as Kim Chol in his passport, was reported to have died on the way to hospital after complaining about feeling unwell at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2).

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