Cradle Fund trial: Widow objected to EPF nomination made by Nazrin - Witness

SHAH ALAM: The High Court was told today that the widow of Cradle Fund chief executive officer Nazrin Hassan, had filed an objection to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) over the nomination for her late husband’s credit contributions, two weeks after his death.

EPF account officer Noor Hafizah Osman, 36, who was attached to the Withdrawal Operations Management Division in 2018 said, based on EPF records, the nominee named for Nazrin’s contribution was Eza Shafina Dzulkarnain, 47, as submitted by the deceased on Jan 13, 2011.

“On June 28, 2018, EPF received a nomination objection from the deceased’s (Nazrin) wife, Samirah Muzaffar at the EPF Kuala Lumpur branch. On that date, Samirah submitted a letter of protest in her name and signed it herself," she said.

The 45th prosecution witness said this when reading out her witness statement while testifying at the trial of Samirah, 46, and two teenagers, now aged 19 and 16, as well as an Indonesian woman, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, all charged with murdering Nazrin at a house in Mutiara Damansara, between 11.30 pm on June 13, 2018 and 4 am the following day.

Noor Hafizah said Samirah in filing the objection had requested that her husband’s EPF account be frozen as she was in the process of obtaining a faraid certificate from the Syariah Court.

She said following the objection, the EPF had on July 6, 2018 issued a letter to Samirah recommending that she filed an originating summons at the High Court and to obtain an injunction within 21 working days, if she wanted to object to the payment of the deceased's contribution to Eza Shafina.

"However, the EPF was not issued any originating summons or an injunction order from Samirah until we were informed that Nazrin's death was being investigated as a murder case," the witness said.

When cross-examined by lawyer L.S.Leonard, the witness said she often received objections to EPF nominations from the next-of-kin, as filed by Samirah.

“This is a common thing,” she said.

The trial before Judge Datuk Ab Karim Ab Rahman continues on Monday.

-- BERNAMA