Lim Kit Siang

Special police team to reopen investigation into Teoh Beng Hock’s death

BY LEE SHI-IAN | TMI
6 September 2014

Bukit Aman has formed a special team to reopen the investigations into the death of Teoh Beng Hock (pic), who died under mysterious circumstances in 2009.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh told The Malaysian Insider that police would relook Teoh’s case to decide if it should be reclassified as murder.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal set aside the open verdict by a coroner into Teoh’s death in 2009, ruling that “a person or persons were responsible” for his death.

The police’s initial findings ruled Teoh’s death as sudden death but Mohmad said more witnesses would be called if such a need arose.

“We will investigate to ascertain if there is a possibility that Teoh’s death was a result of or was accelerated by unknown individuals,” Mohmad said.

Mohmad told The Malaysian Insider that the special investigation team would be led by deputy CID director Datuk Amar Singh.

“An in-depth study will be conducted by the special team and a decision will be made later on whether the case should be reclassified as murder.”

Mohmad said it was premature at this point to draw any conclusions on Teoh’s case and asked that the team be allowed to do its work first.

After the appellate court ruled that Teoh’s death was not suicide, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) pledged to give its full cooperation.

In a short statement yesterday, the anti-graft body accepted the decision by the appellate court in setting aside the open verdict by a coroner into Teoh’s death.

“MACC leaves it to the police to conduct investigations into Teoh’s death and the Attorney-General to decide whether anyone should be prosecuted.

“MACC will give full cooperation to ensure that justice is done for Teoh,” the anti-graft body had said, adding it also wanted closure to the case.

Teoh, the former political aide of Seri Kembangan state assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, had been questioned by the MACC in July 2009.

After the questioning, Teoh was found dead the next day on the rooftop adjacent to the MACC offices in Shah Alam.

Teoh was to have registered his marriage to Soh Cher Wei on that day, which raised questions over the cause of his sudden demise.

Teoh’s death brought the spotlight on interrogation tactics employed by the MACC and resulted in a Royal Commission of Inquiry.

However, the RCI focused on MACC’s interrogation procedures rather than Teoh’s death, and later concluded that the latter had not been murdered.

The RCI panel concluded that Teoh had committed suicide due to the aggressive interrogation tactics employed by three MACC officers.