Police inaction over MACC trio a slap in the face of the people, says Nie Ching

DAP’s National Assistant Publicity Secretary and Serdang MP, Teo Nie Ching has criticized Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Nazri Aziz, and the police for practising double standards by coming up with various excuses for not taking action against the three MACC officers identified by the Royal Commission of Inquiry to be linked to the death of Teoh Beng Hock.

Nazri had explained in Parliament on Monday that the Attorney-General could not charge the three officers because the police did not receive any police reports requesting an investigation into the three officers named in the RCI. However, two DAP members who are also Klang councillors had immediately rebuked the Minister by stating that they had lodged a police report requesting that the police investigate whether the three MACC officers were directly or indirectly involved in Beng Hock’s death.

Therefore, either Nazri is totally out of his depth or he is deliberately protecting the three officers involved. Therefore, both Nazri and the IGP owe the nation a clear and thorough explanation.

Nazri’s explanation that the police cannot commence investigations before receiving a report does not hold water, seeing how there have many notable instances in the past in which the police have resorted to lodging reports themselves to kickstart their investigations.

Police treachery

In December 2009, when DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng uttered the words “Beng Hock was murdered” at the party's annual convention, Selangor police quickly lodged a report themselves to enable them to investigate Lim Guan Eng under the Sedition Act, 1948.

Similarly, when DAP assemblyman for Seri Kembangan and Selangor Exco Ean Yong Hian Wah (who was also Beng Hock’s former boss) issued a press statement claiming that the police investigation on Lim Guan Eng was politically motivated, the police once again lodged a report claiming that his statement was incorrect and amounted to an attempt to intimidate the police. They then commenced their investigation under Section 506 of the Penal Code, as well as the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

On the contrary, when Nazri and the former chairman of MACC Ahmad Said claimed that the cause of Beng Hock’s death was suicide, the police took no action whatsoever against any of them.

From the time of Teoh Beng Hock’s fatal fall from the MACC headquarters, the police have been investigating the case purely based on their own assumption that Beng Hock had committed suicide, and have completely refused to consider the possibility that he was murdered.

Double standards

Now that the RCI report has clearly pointed out that Anuar (the investigation officer known as “the bully”), Amran (the assistant investigating officer known as “the abuser”) and Hishammuddin (“the arrogant leader" who is also former deputy director of MACC Selangor) were guilty of excessive use of violence on Beng Hock, the police have more than enough reason to commence investigations against the trio for possible offences under Sections 304 and 304A of the Penal Code, namely for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for causing the death of TBH by negligence, respectively.

Apart from that, there were 10 MACC officers who gave false testimonies during the RCI proceedings. They should be investigated under Sections 191 and 192 of the Penal Code for giving false evidence and fabricating evidence to protect certain parties from being held responsible for Beng Hock’s death.

However until today, the police refuse to take action. Coupled with the extremely lame “no one has lodged any police reports” excuse from Nazri, it is clear that double standards are being blatantly practised and this has resulted in extreme hurt and disappointment for upright Malaysians who care deeply about the truth and outcome of the Teoh Beng Hock case.

Teo Nie Ching is the DAP MP for Serdang