An Indian-origin Singaporean faces a murder charge for causing the death of his lawyer's Chinese wife in a 2011 office fire.
Govindasamy Nallaiah is accused of killing Low Foong eng, the Chinese wife of lawyer Rengarajoo Balasamy. The dates of the trial would be fixed in due course, The Sunday Times reported today.
The High Court has held a committal hearing, formerly known as preliminary inquiry, committing Govindasamy, 66, to face the murder charge.
Two lawyers have been hired to defend Govindasamy, who faces life sentence or death if found guilty.
The charred body of Low, 56, was found in her husband's office which was gutted by fire in August 2011.
A total of 58 witnesses were expected to testify at the trial which is expected to last for more than two weeks.
The witnesses would include Govindasamy's family members, fire and forensic investigators and medical experts.
Closed-circuit television footage would also be shown at the hearing.
The trial was expected to establish the intention of the accused's alleged presence at the scene, the surrounding circumstances leading to the victim's death and how they are linked.
It would also determine the sequence of events leading to the tragedy and Govindasamy's client-solicitor relationship with lawyer Rengarajoo and his wife, among other things.
Rengarajoo, along with his three daughters, held memorial prayers for his wife yesterday.
"Whatever happens to him is not going to make a difference. What I've lost, I've lost," he said.
