Task force to probe anew Amri Che Mat's disappearance first: Muhyiddin

The special task force formed to reinvestigate the alleged enforced disappearances of pastor Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat will start with the latter's case first, said Muhyiddin Yassin.

According to the Home Minister, this is because the task force will need to wait until a criminal case concerning Koh is concluded in court first before they can proceed with his case.

"The case of pastor Raymond Koh is in court where a man is being charged (for allegedly kidnapping Koh) and the case is still on trial.

"Thus, to avoid from sub judice, the task force will look at Amri Che Mat's case first at the early stage of their investigations.

"Only when this is done and Pastor Koh's case is also settled in court, they will look into the second case," Muhyiddin told a press conference at the Home Ministry in Putrajaya today.

Muhyiddin was referring to the case involving former part-time Uber driver Lam Chang Nam, 31, who was charged last year with allegedly kidnapping Koh.

Prosecutors claimed that Lam, along with seven others who are still at large, had committed the act in Petaling Jaya at approximately 10.25 am on Feb 13, 2017.

Lam was charged in March 2017 with extorting RM30,000 from Koh's family after he told them he could secure the latter's release.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said he would leave it to chairperson Abdul Rahim Uda and his task force members to decide on how they would conduct their reinvestigation.

This included whether the task force would seek the assistance of any of the 40 witnesses who had testified before the Suhakam public hearings on the disappearances.

Asked by reporters if the findings of the task force would be made public, Muhyiddin said most parts of the investigation would be done internally and thus not necessarily be made public.

"I think I will leave this entirely to the task force. I believe in most cases, it will be made internally. There is no necessity to make it public because it is easier that way.

"But whatever it is, I leave it entirely to the chairperson. I will be guided by them rather than me telling them what to do." - Mkini