After conviction, Shafie says he only wanted justice for Zara upheld

Warisan president Shafie Apdal was sentenced to five weeks' jail for contempt by the Papar sessions court today, but was granted a stay of execution pending an appeal to the High Court.PETALING JAYA: Warisan president Shafie Apdal said he only wanted justice to be upheld in Zara Qairina Mahathir’s case, hours after he was sentenced to five weeks' jail for contempt of court over remarks in relation to her death.Shafie said the case was never about him, but about a child whose death touched the entire nation.“From the very beginning, I only wanted the truth and justice to be upheld, and ensure the public remained confident in the country's institutions,” he said in a statement.The former Sabah chief minister also said that fighting for justice was a responsibility entrusted to him by the public.“And I will continue to carry out this responsibility,” he said.Earlier today, the Papar sessions court sentenced Shafie to five weeks in prison after convicting him under Section 99A of the Subordinate Courts Act 1948.However, judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan granted Shafie a stay of execution of the sentence pending the Semporna MP's appeal to the High Court.Speaking at an event in Kinabatangan in September last year, Shafie reportedly described Zara’s death as “murder”, and questioned the authorities' handling of the case, despite the ongoing inquest before Amir.On Oct 23 last year, the attorney-general obtained leave to commence proceedings against Shafie.Zara, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar.The inquest into her death is ongoing.