Gov’t proposes mediation in lawsuit by mother of late Dutch model

KUALA LUMPUR: The government of Malaysia today proposed mediation in the lawsuit filed by the mother of the late Dutch model Ivana Esther Robert Smit against the police, the Home Minister and the government.

In 2020, the 60-year-old Christina Carolina Gerarda Johanna Verstappen filed the suit against the trio and Dang Wangi investigating officer ASP Faizal Abdullah for alleged breach of statutory duties and negligence in the investigation to determine the cause of her 18-year-old daughter's death.

Today, when the matter came up for case management before High Court Judicial Commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain, federal counsel (FC) Mohd Khairulhazman Ghazali said the mediation would be conducted at the Mediation Centre here from Sept 23 to 27.

The matter was not objected to by Verstappen's lawyer Datuk S.N. Nair, who said it was a serious offer to mediate and indicated their willingness to participate.

Before fixing Sept 30 for case management, JC Roz Mawar reminded the FC that the suit has been ongoing for four years ago and is set for trial on Oct 14, with witnesses willing to come from overseas to testify.

"When you said you are willing to mediate, did you just decide this morning or has this been planned earlier?" Roz Mawar asked Mohd Khairulhazman.

To this, Mohd Khairulhazman said his instruction was to convey the government's proposal and the mediation would be conducted from Sept 23 to 27.

In the suit, Verstappen claimed that her daughter was found dead on the sixth floor of CapSquare Residence on Dec 7, 2017, after falling from the 20th floor of a condominium unit owned by American couple Alex Johnson and Luna Almazkyzy.

She contended that the police had committed negligence when they failed to cordon off the crime scene or conduct a proper investigation against Johnson and Almazkyzy and failed to detain, extradite and secure the duo's attendance during the inquest as key witnesses.

On March 18, 2019, the Coroner's Court ruled that Ivana's death was caused by a 'misadventure'.

Not satisfied with the coroner's verdict, Verstappen appealed to the Kuala Lumpur High Court and on Nov 22, 2019, High Court Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah set aside the coroner's verdict and replaced it with a verdict of 'Death by a person or persons unknown".

-- BERNAMA