Malaysian lawyer Jagjit Singh has no qualms about working for the North Korean government. After Kim Jong Un’s half-brother was assassinated in broad daylight in Malaysia last year, the North Korean embassy enlisted Singh’s help.
Speaking to VICE News in a rare interview, Singh explains that he is just doing his job: “I don't see why I can't provide them the best possible defense I can provide. They're entitled to it.”
Kim Jong Nam died shortly after his face was smeared with a nerve agent known as VX in the middle of the busy Kuala Lumpur International Airport. When the police detained a North Korean national for questioning, the North Korean embassy called Singh.
The man was eventually released, and with all other suspects having fled the country, there are no North Koreans on trial for Kim Jong Nam’s death.
Instead, two women, Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese citizen Doan Thi Huong, are facing trial for the murder.
Their defense lawyers argue that their clients are scapegoats for a political assassination, claiming that they were groomed by North Korean operatives to perform what they thought was a prank for a TV show.
Gooi Soon Seng, Aisyah’s defense attorney, went as far to say that the murder amounted to a “declaration of war” since it used chemical weapons, and that the government wasn’t addressing the true seriousness of the crime.
“The issue is that chemical warfare has been used in your country to attack somebody and that is the larger issue which they should be more interested to find out,” Gooi told VICE News.
The fate of the two women will be potentially be decided on August 10, when a judge will announce whether the defense will be called, or whether the women will walk free.
