Who is being protected in Teoh Beng Hock’s murder?

It is almost as if those responsible for the former aide’s death are being accorded a degree of protection.

Teoh Beng Hock, then a 30-year-old aide to the DAP Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was summoned to the MACC Selangor headquarters in Shah Alam on July 15, 2009, to answer allegations about the alleged abuse by his boss of state funds.

To be specific, it was about RM2,500 worth of bunting for use in the elections.

Teoh was held overnight and questioned by MACC officers on the 14th floor of the Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam where the MACC headquarters was located.

However, he failed to return home. His body was found the following day on the fifth-floor service corridor of the building.

To date, no-one has been punished for the murder. Why?

How did he get there? Was he pushed or did he jump? Why would a young man who was about to get married and whose fiancé was expecting his child, end his life?

The investigation into his death has been mired in controversy.

His parents have been denied the answers to their many questions, and they have had to endure a roller coaster ride of emotions and institutional delays, just to obtain justice for their son.

From the very beginning, the “routine” interrogation of Teoh by the MACC raised more questions than answers. It was even alleged that Teoh’s interrogation was intended to rattle the DAP in the run up to a general election.

However, somehow, somewhere, something went wrong, ending with Teoh’s lifeless body on the fifth-floor of the MACC headquarters building. The MACC ended up with a national and political nightmare which to this day remains unresolved.

The CCTV which was present on the floor and room of the building, was said to be pointing in the wrong direction or not functioning. Teoh’s wristwatch is still missing. Perhaps, the fall would have damaged the watch and pinpointed the exact time of his death.

Even the autopsy conducted on Teoh was suspect as the government pathologist’s findings differed widely from that of the second autopsy conducted by an independent world-renowned pathologist from Thailand, Dr Porntip Rojanasunand, who found that his injuries were consistent with a fall from a height.

The paperwork and permit needed to bring Porntip into Malaysia was another minefield that the family had to endure.

Malaysians will remember how in July 2009, then prime minister Najib Razak met the Teoh family and promised them, amongst other things that, “no stone will be left unturned in finding out the real cause of death and, if there is any foul play, action will definitely be taken”.

However, these were mere empty promises.

Eighteen months after his death, the ensuing inquest into Teoh’s death was inconclusive and an open verdict was delivered on Jan 5, 2011.

Public pressure prompted the government to convene a royal commission of inquiry, which ruled that he had been driven to suicide due to aggressive interrogation. Three officers were alleged to have interrogated Teoh.

In 2014, the Court of Appeal ruled that his death was caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those of some MACC officers.

Two years later, the attorney-general found that no criminal elements were involved and no MACC officers would be charged.

When Pakatan Harapan won the general election in 2018, Teoh’s death was again reopened.

Last week, the police said the attorney-general had decided that no further action was to be taken in the case.

A man died under suspicious circumstances. People lied about their whereabouts. The MACC failed in its duty of care to ensure Teoh’s safety.

We should not look away now just because the police said “NFA”. Haven’t previous probes also ended with the same sorry “NFA”?

It is almost as if those responsible for Teoh’s death are being accorded a degree of protection. Perhaps, the entire MACC’s operation will be brought under unwelcome public scrutiny if this is pursued?

Teoh’s death matters. It could so easily have happened to any of us or our loved ones.

We must continue the fight for justice for Teoh. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.