SHAH ALAM (BERNAMA) - The trial of two foreign women who were charged with murdering Mr Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, will kick off on Monday (Oct 2) at the High Court in Shah Alam.

It will be held before Judge Azmi Ariffin, during which the plea from both the accused will be recorded.

Siti Aisyah, 25, of Indonesia, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, were charged - with four others still at large - with the murder of Mr Kim, 45, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) departure hall on Feb 13 this year.

They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

The prosecution will call 30 to 40 witnesses, among others; 10 expert witnesses, including an expert on VX nerve agent; as well as a few foreigners.

Selangor prosecution director Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad is leading the prosecution team, while lawyer Gooi Soon Seng is representing Siti Aisyah, and lawyers Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and Naran Singh are acting for Huong.

Siti Aisyah and Huong were first charged with the offence on March 1 at the Sepang Magistrate's Court. However, no plea was recorded from both the accused as capital punishment comes under the jurisdiction of the High Court.

The case was then transferred to the Shah Alam High Court on May 30.

It was reported that Mr Kim was at KLIA2 on Feb 13 to board a flight to Macau when two women approached and suddenly wiped his face with a toxic liquid, which was later identified as the VX nerve agent.

Mr Kim, who travelled with a passport bearing the name of Kim Chol, died while on the way to Putrajaya Hospital. He went to Malaysia on Feb 6.