Sarbaini died of sudden death, says IO

The police investigating officer says that there was no element of murder or suicide.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Coroner’s Court was told today that there was no element of murder or suicide in the death of Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed.

ASP Zuhairi Mohamed, from the Cheras Police Legal Investigation Division, said Ahmad Sarbaini’s death was classified as sudden death.

He believed Ahmad Sarbaini died due to a fall from a high place.

This conclusion was made based on the evidence by 57 witnesses, comprising officers from the Federal Territory Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Customs officers, pathologists, forensic officers, chemist, policemen and family members and colleagues of the deceased, he added.

Zuhairi, 46, who is the investigating officer in the case, said this during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Abazafree Mohd Abbas.

He said the paint sample found on Ahmad Sarbaini’s trousers matched with the window wall in the pantry on the third floor of the Federal Territory MACC building from where the victim was believed to have fallen.

“There is a reason as to why the victim exited from the window of the pantry, but until today I cannot find the answer and there was no evidence from any of the witnesses who saw they victim doing so,” he added.

Responding to lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who represented the MACC, whether he was satisfied with his investigation, Zuhairi said:

“To me, the investigation conducted was only 90 per cent complete because I still do not know why Ahmad Sarbaini left through the window”.

Ahmad Sarbaini, 56, from the Port Klang Customs office was found dead on the first floor badminton court of the Federal Territory MACC office in Jalan Cochrane on April 6.

He was reported to have gone to the office voluntarily to meet an MACC investigating officer regarding a corruption case involving 62 Customs officers.

No note

Zuhairi, who is the 34th witness in the inquest, said Ahmad Sarbaini’s death could not be linked to suicide because there was no suicide note found or injury found by the pathologist to prove that he did so.

He also ruled out foul play because the post-mortem conducted on Ahmad Sarbaini’s body found no injury that he was assaulted.

Zuhairi also confirmed that Ahmad Sarbaini’s wife, Masiah @ Maziah Manap, had lodged a second report following an article posted by Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), titled “Ahmad Sarbaini’s Death: The Lies and Deception by the MACC (Part 7)”, in the Malaysia Today blog last July 20.

In the report, Masiah claimed that the MACC officers were responsible for her husband’s death and that she was confident her husband did not commit suicide, but that there was foul play in the investigation by the police.

Questioned by Muhammad Shafee whether, during the investigation, there was any evidence from any witnesses that support the “cause of death” as stated by RPK in the article, Zuhairi said:

“I don’t know how RPK could get the story on the cause of Ahmad Sarbaini’s death because there was no such evidence and I think it was his own assumption”.

DNA samples

Earlier, a chemist, Dr Seah Lay Hong , from the Chemistry Department, told the court that she found a DNA which matched with the DNA found on Ahmad Sarbaini’s clothing on five MACC officers.

He named the officers as Abdul Ghani Ali, Sheikh Niza Khairy Sheikh Mohamad, Henrita Serai Anak Andrew Lenggie, Kamal Awang Besar and Khalid Amir Meruphy Abdullah Stanley Meruphy Samuel.

Seah, 53, who is the 33rd witness in the inquest, said an analysis conducted on the exhibits, which included two stockings, trousers, shirt and the back of the deceased’s palm, found only two DNA marks from two unknown persons.

“Possibly, the two DNA belong to the chemists who conducted the analysis or the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem on the victim’s body,” she said when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Hanim Mohd Rashid.

However, Seah said she received DNA samples from Zuhairi and from analysis conducted found that they matched with the DNA found on the deceased.

She said the two DNA belong to Soo Chew Kheong and Lum Chee Weng.

“It happened because the post-mortem on Ahmad Sarbaini was conducted on the same table used for Soo and Lum’s post mortems, which resulted in their DNA to stick to Ahmad Sarbaini’s body,” she added.

The hearing was held before Coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharani.

- Bernama