Susanna Liew has questioned the need for another investigation into the abduction of her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh, as the High Court had ordered in its decision last month.
She called on the government to take action on the identified perpetrators instead and release information on Koh’s whereabouts.
Liew and her legal team had conveyed this to DAP chairperson Gobind Singh Deo during a meeting at Menara Putrajaya Holdings in Putrajaya this afternoon.
Noting that the case has already been resolved at three levels - by Suhakam, a special government task force, and the recent High Court ruling - her lawyer, Gurdial Singh Nijar, said that another investigation would merely prolong the closure of the case, which has already dragged on for eight years.
Gurdial said his client had also pointed out to Gobind that the state had clearly committed the abduction.
"The government should take action against them (perpetrators) because they are the ones who have been clearly identified as having committed the wrongful act of abduction," he said.
"So (the state) must give information - where is the person who has been abducted? Where is the information in relation to that?" he added.
Liew had earlier penned a heartfelt letter to Gobind, asking him to stand with her family, saying that he, like his late father Karpal Singh, is one to uphold transparency and human dignity. She also urged the DAP lawmaker to raise the matter in Parliament.
This came after the government filed an appeal against the High Court verdict that ordered the government to pay RM10,000 per day to Koh’s family, starting the day he was abducted on Feb 13, 2017, until he is found or his whereabouts are identified.
In the letter, Liew pointed out how the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) filed an appeal against the verdict before the full grounds of judgment were available, lamenting that the agency did not raise any concern about the seriousness of the verdict, which had linked the police’s involvement.
Another of Liew’s counsel, Jerald Gomez, said Gobind had informed them that he would take the case to the cabinet.
"He (Gobind) will have a cabinet meeting to discuss with the others (ministers) and he will eventually get back to us," the lawyer added.
One step closer to closure?
When asked whether the meeting with Gobind had brought them hope or closure, Liew and her lawyers said it was too early to tell.
Gurdial said, "The test of the pudding lies in the eating,” while Jerald added, "We have to wait and see."
In the court ruling on Nov 5, judge Su Tiang Joo awarded RM4 million in damages, and also awarded the missing pastor RM1 million in aggravated damages for the prolonged delay in his discovery, as well as another RM1 million for unconstitutional acts taken against him by the defendants.
He also ordered the police to reopen their investigation into the case and report their progress to the attorney-general every two months.
The court further ordered a separate monetary relief for Liew, the second plaintiff in the suit, which is RM2 million in general and aggravated damages for her mental distress, as well as another RM1 million in exemplary damages.
The judge also ruled in favour of activist Amri Che Mat, who was abducted in 2016.
The AGC filed an appeal the next day, with Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar stating he believed the High Court had erred.
Koh, an evangelical pastor, disappeared on Feb 13, 2017, in broad daylight. CCTV footage of the incident shows him being abducted by a group of 15 men at Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya.
Several parties have linked the pastor’s disappearance to alleged attempts to convert Muslims to Christianity. - Mkini
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