Wait for police to find suspects in Adib's case - law minister

The probe into the murder case of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim is still ongoing, said de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan.

However, he said the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) can only proceed with the next course of action once the police manage to identify the suspects.

"The police are in the midst of investigating the case to identify the perpetrators. That was what was told to the cabinet. The government or the AGC will take action based on the probe. We'll wait for that.

"The home minister had also confirmed that the case is still under investigation. There's no expiry date for a criminal case, so charges would be made once there is enough evidence," Takiyuddin (photo) told the media in Kota Bharu today when asked to update on the progress of the case.

Adib died at the National Heart Institute on Dec 17, 2018, after succumbing to injuries sustained during riots near the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya about a month earlier.

In September last year, coroner Rofiah Mohamad ruled that Adib's death was a criminal act perpetrated by two or three unidentified assailants during a riot outside the temple last November.

On the day of the verdict, the youth wings of PAS and Umno had held a gathering outside of the Shah Alam court complex and among others, called for the then attorney-general Tommy Thomas to step down for allegedly interfering in the case. 

Following the appointment of Idrus Harun as the new attorney-general after Thomas' resignation from the post, Adib's father Mohd Kassim Abdul Hamid had hoped for justice to be served over his son's death. 

Kassim also hoped that the new government would be "unlike the previous administration."

"After the Coroner's Court ruled on Sept 27 last year that Adib's death was due to a criminal act, we waited for the authorities to take further action but there has been no development.

"The case just went quiet. We were hoping that the police would carry out their duties to nab the suspects.

"Don't be like in the past. The government has changed and there's a new attorney-general, let there be a new path for justice," he had said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla, in response to Takiyuddin's statement, said it is the latter's responsibility to order the police to update the public from time to time with an official statement concerning the progress of the investigation.

He said the public is still waiting for an update on the continuing investigations after almost nine months since the coroner gave her verdict in September last year.

"As the minister in charge of law and parliamentary affairs, Takiyuddin should be more responsible in giving out statements rather than asking for the public to wait until the probe is completed.

"The public has no knowledge regarding the probe, and they always wonder what's the progress of it now to the point where they are now asking: 'Do we have to wait until the end of the world to see the probe completed?'," he said.

On the government's plan to amend the law concerning drunk driving, Takiyuddin said the matter is in the final stage and will be brought to the cabinet by two weeks.

"This act is under the Transport Ministry and we are involved in providing inputs.

"More importantly, we have to find an approach which not only prevents fatal accidents due to drunk driving but also encourages motorists against drunk driving," he said.

For the record, the plan to tighten existing laws on driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs had begun since the previous Pakatan Harapan government before it collapsed in February this year. - Mkini