Teoh Beng Hock Trust: Why 7-month delay in reopening probe into death?

Members of the Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy handing over a memorandum to a police representative at Bukit Aman police headquarters, urging that the investigation be reopened.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy today expressed disappointment over the seven-month delay in police reopening the case involving the death of the former aide to a Selangor Exco member.

Teoh’s body was found on the rooftop of the building where he had been detained earlier by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The group said it was in the dark over the current status of the case.

Its secretary, Ngeow Chow Ying, said the Attorney-General’s Chambers had sent a letter to police on July 18 last year with regard to further investigations into the death.

She said it would be surprising if Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohamad Fuzi Harun had never received it.

“If the IGP had received the instruction, then he must explain why police have refused to carry out fresh investigations.

“Does it mean the IGP is against the Cabinet decision or there is political interference?

“We have waited so long but we still have no news or update on the investigation.

“That is why we are here today, to remind them that the job is not done yet and we are waiting for justice,” she told reporters outside the Bukit Aman police headquarters today after submitting a memorandum on reopening Teoh’s case.

Teoh, who was the political secretary to then-Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after he was interrogated by the Selangor MACC in its office on the 14th floor of the same building.

A royal commission of inquiry concluded that Teoh was driven to suicide by the aggressive interrogation methods used by MACC officers. It also blamed three officers for their aggressive methods which violated procedures.

In July, Fuzi was reported as saying that police would comply with the AGC’s instructions to conduct further investigations into Teoh’s death.

He said police would resubmit their findings to the AGC for further action.

However, in October, Fuzi said police had yet to hear from the AGC on instructions to reopen investigations into Teoh’s death.

Ngeow, who is also a lawyer, said the group would give another two months for police to carry out the investigation before considering its next step.

“The letter from AGC was sent to the IGP and it was stated very clearly that AGC had spoken to the police and had requested that the case be looked into.”

Meanwhile, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh took Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to task for not directing the IGP to reopen investigations despite being urged to do so by the AG.

Describing it as “baffling”, he said the failure of the minister to instruct the IGP to act immediately raised “grave suspicion of the possibility of a cover-up in Teoh’s death”.

Ramkarpal, who is representing Teoh’s family, said Muhyiddin was on record as saying that investigations into the death of Teoh would only be reopened upon the instructions of the AG.

“It is shocking that Muhyiddin said this on Sept 25, 2018 when the AG had already instructed the IGP to reopen the investigations on July 17, 2018 in his letter.” - FMT