Beng Hock case: A minister's answer that misses MP's questions

 

A lawmaker had sought answers from Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on two issues concerning the investigation into the death of former DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock.

The minister duly responded. But his answers appeared to have taken a detour.

DAP's Raub MP Chow Yu Hui wanted to know why the findings of the police investigation had yet to be disclosed to Teoh’s family, and the legal basis for withholding them.

Instead of directly addressing Chow's (above, right) questions, in a parliamentary written reply Saifuddin offered a chronology of events.

He said police had taken the necessary action following a court order in November 2024 to complete the investigation into Teoh’s death.

The investigation papers were subsequently referred to the attorney-general on May 14, 2025, he added.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail

“After reviewing all the facts and statements contained in the investigation papers, the AG decided to classify the case as ‘no further action’ on the grounds that the available evidence was insufficient to charge any individual in court under the criminal standard of proof, namely, ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.

“The decision was subsequently communicated to Teoh's family through a letter to their lawyer dated May 20, 2025. Thank you,” he added.

Teoh, then an aide to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead in 2009 after being questioned overnight at the Selangor MACC office, then located at Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam.

A 2011 royal commission of inquiry concluded that Teoh had been driven to suicide by aggressive interrogation.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled in 2014 that his death had been caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those of MACC officers.

On Nov 21, 2024, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered police to complete their investigation into Teoh’s death within six months.

Push for murder probe

In May this year, Teoh’s family filed a judicial review seeking to compel the authorities to investigate his death as a murder, challenging what they described as the police’s use of an “incorrect” and lesser offence.

The move followed confirmation from police in January that previous investigations into Teoh’s death had been conducted under Section 342 of the Penal Code, which deals with wrongful confinement.

The Teoh family

In August, the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement (TBH-ADA) launched the “Email Anwar” campaign, urging the public to write to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and demand that he honour his promise to the family, disclose the findings of the government’s investigation, and explain why no one has been held criminally accountable. - Mkini