A Malaysian court will make its first ruling on Thursday about whether two women implicated in the assassination of Kim Jong-un’s estranged half-brother were scapegoats of the North Korean regime or possibly cold-blooded killers.

The high court in Selangor, western Malaysia, will either acquit Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese suspect Doan Thi Huong, 29, or call them to enter their defence in the case of the murder of Kim Jong-nam, 45, on February 13, 2017, at Kuala Lumpur international airport.

In a plot worthy of a blockbuster spy thriller, the two young women are accused of smearing lethal VX nerve agent, a banned chemical weapon, on Kim’s face in the crowded terminal. They both claim they were duped into believing they were playing roles in a hidden camera TV prank show.

On the eve of the court decision, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Ms Huong’s lawyer told The Telegraph he was “very confident” that she would be acquitted.

Ms Siti’s lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, has expressed similar views, arguing that the prosecution’s case is purely circumstantial.

The women are the only two suspects in custody, after four accused North Koreans fled Malaysia on the day of the killing. If the defence is called, the trial could take several more months and they face the death penalty if convicted.