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Suspension of 3 officers held responsible by RCI for death of TBH too little too late

Too little and too late – that’s the general public reaction to the news yesterday evening that the MACC had finally succumbed after 48 hours of public outrage and increasing public pressure and suspended three officers held responsible by the James Foong Royal Commission of Inquiry for the death of Teoh Beng Hock at the MACC headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009 from further investigation duties pending an internal probe.

According to press reports, the three MACC officers suspended are:

1. Hishammuddin Hashim [“HH”]– Negri Sembilan MACC director who was at the relevant time Deputy Director Selangor MACC and “mastermind” of the 33-officer operation based “on a mere belief and without supporting facts” (RCI report Para 184) resulting in Beng Hock’s death.

This is what the RCI has to say about Hishammuddin:

“We found him to be arrogant, given to falsehoods, untruthful and uncompromising in his stand. His falsehoods, particularly of his non-active involvement in the entire operation at the material time, were exposed from the contradictory statements he made before us. But more compelling was the confirmation from two of his own officers, namely Azeem and Aziah who were brave enough to reveal towards the later part of our proceedings the actual role of HH in this operation despite the fact that HH was their superior and still holds a senior position in the MACC as director of the MACC Negri Sembilan” – Para 176;

2. Anuar Ismail [“Anuar”] – appointed by Hishammuddin as the investigation officer [“the IO”] of the operation which resulted in Beng Hock’s death;

3. Ashraf Mohd Yunus [“Ashraf”] – described as “Ashraf the abuser [who was Machiavellian in his method to secure evidence” (Para 226) and also in Para 158, viz: “From police records tendered in this inquiry by one DSP Kamaruddin Awang from the Selangor police criminal section, out of the twenty cases reported against the Selangor MACC officers for assault, Ashraf was involved in fourteen of them and was positively identified by a majority of those who had made the reports against him”.

The many questions demanding answers from the MACC include:

1. Why were only these three MACC officers suspended, when the RCI report named many more MACC officers who were responsible for Beng Hock’s death as well as guilty of a whole series of illegal and unlawful acts. Furthermore, they were also guilty of lying to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (which would mean that they had committed similar perjuries at the earlier Teoh Beng Hock inquest before Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas). Why hasn’t action been taken against all the MACC officers implicated in the death of Teoh Beng Hock and for committing crimes and perjuries before judicial proceedings like the inquest and the royal commission of inquiry?

2. Why were these three MACC offficers only suspended from investigations duties, which means they remain MACC officers enjoying all the perks and privileges apart from being taken off investigation duties?

3. MACC is neither serious nor genuine when it declares that it accepts the RCI report with “open heart”, or it would have taken to heart the indictment of the MACC contained in the RCI report presenting a picture of utter lawlessness reigning in the MACC, particularly in Selangor, with MACC “law enforcement officers” themselves committing heinous crimes and not batting an eye lid telling lies after lies at the Royal Commission of Inquiry. Why hasn’t MACC immediately suspended these MACC officers from all duties as well as push for their arrest and prosecution for a host of crimes, including violating Section 193 of Penal Code which prescribe seven years’ jail and fine for giving false evidence at judicial proceedings i.e. Teoh Beng Hock RCI and TBH inquest!

This is why the MACC suspension of 3 officers held responsible by RCI for death of Teoh Beng Hock from investigation duties is “too little too late” – gravely inadequate and total mockery of the commission of heinous crimes by MACC officers described in RCI report.

The TBH RCI report was officially handed over to the Yang di Pertuan Agong on 22nd June, which means that the Attorney-General had over a month to study what follow-up action he should institute in discharge of his constitutional duties to prosecute MACC officers for commission of grave offences by a major law enforcement agency which should be upholding the law.

Why is there total silence from the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail?

25 Replies to “Suspension of 3 officers held responsible by RCI for death of TBH too little too late”

  2. uTUSAN MALAYSIA SAYS it is normal for corruption witnesses to commit suicide.

    Oops,…..ha, ha… Utusan editor graduan Uitm ke?

    Even those alleged to have committed Corrruption …and there are so many in UMNO, tak pernah dengar they commit suicide. Why should witnesses commit suicide?

    That is the kind of logic that makes UTUSAN world-crass, man.

  3. Najib says RCI based on truth. Aw, c’mon….

    That is wrong. RCI report is based on what info was given at inquiry….and they need not necessarily be the truth or the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

    The truth may lie somewhere in the perception of the public…. TBH was murdered.

  4. uTUSAN MALAYSIA SAYS it is normal for corruption witnesses to commit suicide.

    Oops,…..ha, ha… craziest joke of the year.

    Even those alleged to have committed Corrruption …and there are so many in UMNO, tak pernah dengar they commit suicide. Why should witnesses commit suicide?

    That is the kind of logic that makes UTUSAN world-crass, man.

  6. It is always……too little too late.
    TBH’s family is lucky to have little bit of so call justice.
    Thousands have not one iota of justice…just forgotten.
    TBH’s was somewhat lucky to be a DAP member.
    LKS will never let those killers go that easy.
    The three charged are nothing but being encouraged to do what the did.
    It leads to Home Minister…Min.of Justice..right up to Najib.
    But lets leave those alone…and say…it leads to MACC chief first.
    All police brutalities are the encouragements of the IGP…and who does that appointed IGP takes order from?
    Until and unless Najib stop encouraging … passing the buck..there will be no end to injustices and murders.
    Need I need to spell out why Najib is keping his mouth shut?

  7. The government has the habit of defending abuses perpetrated by the police and the MACC. It has even condoned murders by the police.
    There was never a time when the police had ever accepted responsibility for any abuse, violence, threats, intimidation of the rakyat.
    Take the Bersih rally. The police is denying wholesale all its abuses to the extend of doctoring its video clips.
    Countless reports had been made by suspects against MACC’s Asraf but no action was taken.
    It is evident that MACC had been practising what it had done to Teoh Beng Hock on all previous suspects and witnesses.
    Because that was its SOP!
    It took a murder to expose them. But will they change? I doubt, because the government stands with them.
    That is why the police are a trigger happy lot.
    PDRM and MACC have the 007 licence to kill.

  8. ///Why were only these three MACC officers suspended, when the RCI report named many more MACC officers who were responsible for Beng Hock’s death as well as guilty of a whole series of illegal and unlawful acts///.

    How many other MACC officers are complicit in a whole series of illegal and unlawful acts relating to TBH’s death or covering up? Add those who watch pornography as well, will it tantamount in numbers to almost suspending & shutting down the entire MACC?

    The Corrupt can then take a welcomed respite and breather to the news, MACC is temporary non operational – undergoing fundamental reform and revamp.

  9. The RCI report coming out just after Bersih 2.0 proves only one thing – We need to replace 1Malaysia with Bersih Malaysia. We need a Bersih Malaysia before we can have a 1Malaysia..

  10. Minister Nazri now said MACC should be faulted for not following procedures. No, you are wrong minister. It is more that. MACC should be held accountable for bullying and extreme torture.

  12. If corruption witnesses should COMMIT SUICIDE, then it would mean people like KHIR TOYO should have done it a DOZEN times or more! Why is he still BREATHING?

    Just what nonsense is UTUSAN talking about?

  13. Why is there total silence from the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail?

    Gani replies: “Hey, those 3 are helping umno to take over the Selangor state govt. They are HEROES! And you want me to punish these 3 heroes? “

  15. How can rakyat trust NR n his gomen when they r so scared of French lawyer William Bourdon
    Looks like d truth abt d purchase of 2 Scorpene n 1 Agosta submarine fr French arms giant DCN will b out soon
    Rakyat will know more abt d corruption n perhaps murder invovled
    NR tot he could cover up all this by blocking, terminating, n erasing
    He could not black-ink William’s speeches so must stop William’s entry n deport him fast
    How can NR expect rakyat 2 accept d RCI’s findings lah

  16. ///KANGAR – Conclusions made by the Malaysian Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into opposition aide Teoh Beng Hock’s death should not be questioned as this will only defeat its purpose, said Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

    He said the RCI was an independent body, which had been set up with the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s consent and made up of individuals with high credibility to investigate the matter openly.

    “What is the purpose of setting up the RCI if its findings are questioned? There are groups which questioned it because they are unhappy with the findings.”

    “They have made their own conclusion and they wanted the RCI’s report to reflect their thinking and demands. That is unfair.”

    “The truth remains the truth whether it is bitter or easy for us to accept. We can’t deny the truth,” he said after meeting the Perlis Barisan Nasional leaders yesterday.

    The Commission had concluded that Teoh was driven to commit suicide due to intensive interrogation by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers. — THE STAR/ANN///MalaysiaToday

    Najib missed the point. The RCI speculated on how TBH died rather than took into consideration the evidence to give a most plausible explanation on how TBH died. There were holes in RCI’s speculation on what went through TBH’s mind. We did not know how TBH think just before the fall, and so did RCI. The status of RCI does not confer it the right to speculate when it is supposed to analyse the information provided and come out with a justifiable conclusion. But RCI clearly failed in giving a credible conclusion on how TBH died.

    Najib should realize that RCI has to earn its respect too. It cannot be respected just because it was appointed by the government. It has to earn respect based on its performance. It is not a matter of whether the conclusion agrees with what people think. It is a matter of whether the conclusion is firmly grounded and credible.

  17. Because the RCI is made up of individuals with supposedly high credibility, that is precisely why the expectation is that they deliver a reasoned and fair judgment on the issues dealt with in its terms of reference. The Malaysian public should not be treated as if they were children incapable of forming their own judgment of what is reasonable and probable and what it is not and that they should just believe unquestioningly the opinion of this body or this person simply because it is supposedly the authority. Indeed the very act of appealing to authority – that it should be believed and respected just because it is the authority – suggests that its opinion/conclusion has perhaps no other surer or firmer foundation grounded on reasons and logic to commend itself other than a vain appeal to authority. As Loh commented earlier credibility like respect has to be earned: it cannot be just accepted based mere on repute. That’s why one has to be careful. Like money it is far harder to earn credibility than to squander it. Like virginity once lost it cannot easily be restored by trying to stitch it back!

  18. Jeffery….In Thailand..they can sow back torn viginas and offer to clients as true virgins.

    This is about TBH…and nothing can change the way they try to fool us.. except to vote and change the government.

  20. What? Suspension? It must be the most bizarre action taken against these three officers from MACC who have
    clearly abused their power in either indirectly or directly caused the death of an innocent citizen TBH, this is an obvious criminal offense and should be arrested immediately pending further investigation and interrogation. No one should be above the law, even though the RCI verdict seems to suggest TBH might be forced to suicide, these three officer are the ones who should be accounted for TBH death either forced suicide or homicide, its no different if you put a gun on a person head and ask him to jump off the roof of a building or
    put a bullet directly into his head. These actions would have resulted in the death of a person, since MACC is directly under the Prime Minister department, Najib must bear the full responsibility!

  22. Too little? Suspension for what? It was MURDER. TBH was murdered by them and the MACC. From the evidence of the report alone, any decent impartial jury would have found the three guilty of manslaughter and the MACC gross negligence. However, if you digged further, the evidence of pass misdeed, its quite clear the behaviour of the 3 officers were not isolated but a pattern. The death of Sarbani, EVEN MORE suspicious tells you the intent to kill was never ruled out in their minds before and after the death of TBH. Killing IS NOT out of the question institutionally for MACC and their officers – THAT is murder, cold-blooded murder.

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