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Teoh inquiry: A-G seeks to defer hearing of revision application

The Star online
Thursday May 19, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has written to the Shah Alam High Court seeking to defer the hearing date of his revision application over the open verdict delivered by the Coroner’s Court following its inquest into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

The Shah Alam High Court is scheduled to hear the revision application on May 23.

The A-G wants Justice Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Baki, who will be hearing the application, to defer hearing date until the Commission of Inquiry investigating Teoh’s death makes its conclusions.

The commission had announced that a report of its findings will be handed over to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on June 24. Continue reading “Teoh inquiry: A-G seeks to defer hearing of revision application”

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10 days in May (18)

Tweets @limkitsiang:-

TBH RCI- Y ShafeeAbdullah as counsel did not advise MACC 2admit responsibility 4TeohBengHock’s death as TBH was under MACC custody premises?

Then MACC shld fully co-operated w RCI 2establish actual circumstances of TBH death. No. MACC denied 2very end – with lies cover-ups.

What Shafie meant when said focus TBH’s death x on MACC blunders n referred 2OJ Simpson murder case? MACC want Shafie 2do a Simpson in RCI?
Continue reading “10 days in May (18)”

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Teoh’s death IS about the MACC

The Malaysian Insider
May 18, 2011

MAY 18 — Datuk Seri Shafee Abdullah is right that that the public should focus on Teoh Beng Hock’s death but wrong to say that the blunders of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should not be in the picture.

That is part of the task given to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating the cause and circumstances of the suspicious death of the Selangor political aide. But it is also performing its original mandate of reviewing the propriety of MACC’s interrogation methods and procedures.

Of course we want to know what happened to Teoh on the morning of July 16, 2009 but a critical element to reaching any finding will be the surrounding circumstances of the case and the behaviour of the MACC.
Continue reading “Teoh’s death IS about the MACC”

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10 days in May (16)

Tweets @limkitsiang:-

Utterly incensed by Shafie’s outrageous defence MACC re TeohBengHock death – “Focus on Teoh death, not MACC clangers” http://bit.ly/loWqsV

Is Shafie attorney for 29mil Msians or 4MACC? Is he attorney 4justice/truth? Y ignore MACC blunders which can b telltale signs of crime?

Shafie said “hallmark question” whthr TBH’s death is suicide or not.What abt “hallmark Q” TBH was murdered or not? Y did Shafie rule it out?

RCI misused by MACC 2exculpate MACC, incriminate DAP or contend TBH suicide.Who gave orders 2MACC 2gun 4Sgor PR govt result in TBH death? Continue reading “10 days in May (16)”

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Shafee: Focus on Teoh death, not MACC clangers

By Shannon Teoh
May 18, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) lawyer today urged the public to focus on Teoh Beng Hock’s death and not the blunders by the anti-graft body in its investigations into Selangor DAP.

Datuk Seri Shafee Abdullah, who is representing the MACC in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Teoh’s death, said that despite these errors, justice must still be served and the question of whether the DAP aide committed suicide be answered.

“Ask yourself honestly, whatever monkey things the MACC officers may have been blundering, wrong in certain procedures, a little harsh in questioning, the hallmark question is whether this suicide or not,” he told reporters outside the RCI courtroom today. Continue reading “Shafee: Focus on Teoh death, not MACC clangers”

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RCI to re-examine ‘suicide’ note

By Teoh El Sen | May 18, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: The “suicide” note purportedly written by Teoh Beng Hock would be re-examined to extract and decipher a few words that were blacked out by someone, perhaps even the author.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry investigating Teoh’s death was re-convened briefly this morning to decide on the application made by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to re-analyse the note.

Shafee’s application made via a letter last week (May 11) had asked the commission to ascertain what was written beneath an erased part of the note and subsequently admit that as evidence.
Continue reading “RCI to re-examine ‘suicide’ note”

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Psychiatrist: Teoh is in low risk of suicide group

S Pathmawathy
Malaysiakini
May 10, 11

Teoh Beng Hock had killed himself… things are likely to have occurred both to undermine his psychological stability and to frighten him literally to death, opined a forensic psychiatrist today.

According to a report by Dr Paul E Mullen, which was submitted to the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh’s death, the deceased was classified to be in the “low risk group”.

Mullen, a professor of forensic psychiatry at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, was engaged by the Bar Council to determine Teoh’s personality and state of mind in order to assist the RCI resolving the circumstances surrounding and contributed to his death.

“Enquires made from those interviewed suggested that Teoh was a well-organised, tidy man with a tendency to be perfectionistic.

“No evidence was found, however, for dysfunctional obsessional traits or unusual rigidity.

“In my opinion, what we learned of Teoh’s personality and behaviour do not suggest any increased risk of suicide.

“In brief, it is my opinion that Teoh Beng Hock was firmly in the lowest risk group for suicide when he was taken into MACC custody,” stated Mullen. Continue reading “Psychiatrist: Teoh is in low risk of suicide group”

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Beng Hock not suicidal, psychiatrist tells RCI

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — Teoh Beng Hock was in the lowest risk group for suicide when he entered the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), a forensic psychiatrist said in his report to a royal panel investigating the DAP political aide’s death today.

Dr Paul Mullen also said in his report to the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh’s death that there was no reason for Teoh to conclude that he had shamed himself or betrayed his colleagues when he was questioned by the MACC.

“In brief, it is my opinion that Teoh Beng Hock was firmly in the lowest risk group for suicide when he was taken into MACC custody,” said Dr Mullen in his report, which was provided to the press today.

“His statement (to the MACC)… does not seem to clearly implicate him, or anyone else, in offences… this is not a context which, in my experience, leads to suicide in custody… there is nothing of which I have been made aware to explain panic and distress sufficient to drive him to conclude his honour had been irreparably tarnished,” added the Australian doctor. Continue reading “Beng Hock not suicidal, psychiatrist tells RCI”

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Under fire, sister insists mystery note not by Teoh

By Boo Su-Lyn
The Malaysian Insider
May 09, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — Despite being pressured by a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) lawyer on the contents of a mystery note, Teoh Beng Hock’s sister Lee Lan insisted before a royal panel today that her brother did not write it even as she broke down in tears at one point in her testimony.

Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah bombarded her with a series of questions on the mystery note and whether she could recognise her brother’s handwriting, until she said: “I want to know the correct and the exact truth (behind Beng Hock’s death). This is the reason we requested for this commission.”

“During the inquest, when they showed such a note, immediately we discussed and said this note does not belong to Teoh Beng Hock,” said Lee Lan at the inquiry today, as the RCI nears the conclusion of its testimony collection.

“This could not be written by Teoh Beng Hock because (there was) no need for him to write such notes,” she added. Continue reading “Under fire, sister insists mystery note not by Teoh”

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‘MACC officers were instructed to lie’

Teoh El Sen
Free Malaysia Today
May 9, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: A senior Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer had pleaded to her superior to order his subordinates not to give false statements in the Teoh Beng Hock case.

Senior investigating officer Azian Umar, 31, said this today when questioned by Bar Council’s Cheow Wee at the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh’s death.

Cheow read out a SMS text message sent by Azian to Selangor MACC investigation department chief Hairul Ilham Hamzah in which she said “this is a big case, it involves a person’s life, if (we) lie once, then we need to lie many times more to support the lie”.

In the SMS, in which she expressed sadness at what had happened in Teoh’s case, she also said the incident with Teoh may be God’s “divine retribution” to MACC. Continue reading “‘MACC officers were instructed to lie’”

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Teoh’s fiancée breaks down in court

By Teoh El Sen | May 9, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating the death of Teoh Beng Hock today saw an emotional Soh Cher Wei, Teoh’s fiancée, give a tearful testimony on the man’s character.

Soh, a 30-year-old teacher from Johor, sobbed when she told the court that Teoh’s hobby was cooking and struggled to control her emotions when commissioner forensic psychiatrist Dr Mohd Hatta Shaharom asked her: “Your relationship with Teoh is considered love. What is the meaning of love to you?”

“It’s that the person will be with me until the very end. That’s my answer,” said Soh, who sobbed in-between her words and wiped her tears away with a tissue.

Hatta: What do you like about Teoh?

Soh: He is a person who is good. He loves me and his family.
Continue reading “Teoh’s fiancée breaks down in court”

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MACC assassinates Teoh’s character

By Mariam Mokhtar | FMT

Even in death, the MACC will not leave Teoh Beng Hock alone. This time, they chose to sully whatever lasting memory Teoh’s poor family have of him, by claiming that Teoh committed suicide.

Are MACC lawyers poorly trained that they have to alternate from comical acts to farcical conjectures?

During the inquest into Teoh’s suspicious death, the MACC lawyer, Abdul Razak Musa grilled Dr Pornthip, the Thai pathologist, and gave the whole world a hilarious demonstration of how not to conduct a cross examination.

However, in the latest round of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), the MACC lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah charged that Teoh ‘took his life and chose “death before dishonour” to spare the DAP from charges of corruption’.

How ludicrous is that?
Continue reading “MACC assassinates Teoh’s character”

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Ean Yong denies DAP, Teoh ever took kickbacks

By Melissa Chi
April 24, 2011

SERI KEMBANGAN, April 24 — Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah again denied today DAP and his dead aide Teoh Beng Hock ever took kickbacks, an issue speculated in a royal panel investigating the death.

Teoh was called as a witness in a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe into alleged misuse of state funds by Ean Yong but was found dead on July 15, 2009 at the agency’s Selangor office after overnight questioning.

“I need to stress here that, the DAP branches and Teoh Beng Hock have never taken any cut or kickback from the contractors or suppliers. We have documents to prove that these are baseless accusations.

“What happened was, in many cases the DAP branch or certain party members are part of the organising team and footed some of the bills of the programmes. When we got back the claim from the district office, we then reimburse to the branch or members who have paid the bills earlier,” he told reporters here.

Teoh, 30, was the political secretary to Yong, who is also the Seri Kembangan assemblyman from the DAP, at the time of his death. An inquest turned in an open verdict, saying it was neither suicide or homicide. Continue reading “Ean Yong denies DAP, Teoh ever took kickbacks”

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Ex-judge Shaikh Daud should not have compromised his stature by allowing himself to be dragooned by BN propagandists to run down Teoh Beng Hock’s family and lawyers

Former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Shaikh Daud Ismail should not have compromised his stature by allowing himself to be dragooned by Barisan Nasional propagandists to run down Teoh Beng Hock’s family and lawyers for the family’s decision to withdraw from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s mysterious death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam in July 2009.

Another example of such a media blitzkrieg was the comment by the Universiti Teknologi Mara Assoc Prof of Law Datuk Halim Sidek.

I agree with the advice yesterday by the DAP National Chairman Karpal Singh to Halim that he should “in future demonstrate maturity by checking his facts before making public statements” so as “to set a good example to would-be lawyers under his charge”.

It is most unbecoming of a former judge of the Court of Appeal to make the baseless allegation that Teoh’s family had shown “clear disrespect” to the Yang di Pertuan Agong by pulling out of the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
Continue reading “Ex-judge Shaikh Daud should not have compromised his stature by allowing himself to be dragooned by BN propagandists to run down Teoh Beng Hock’s family and lawyers”

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Commission must be neutral

Brave New World
By Azmi Sharom
The Star
Thursday February 24, 2011

To ensure that there is no conflict of interest, the conducting officers must be totally unbiased.

THE family of Teoh Beng Hock has decided that they do not want to take part in the Commission of Inquiry which was set up to investigate his death.

This act has been criticised by some quarters as being a political ploy designed to delay the proceedings. I beg to disagree.

The family has some very compelling reasons for doing what they did.

Their main complaint is that there is currently an appeal in the courts regarding the findings of the inquest. Continue reading “Commission must be neutral”

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Malaysians sympathise and support the decision of Teoh Beng Hock family to pull out of RCI as it has no confidence in its independence and professionalism

Malaysians sympathise and support the decision of Teoh Beng Hock’s family to pull out of the Royal Commssion of Inquiry as it has no confidence in its independence and professionalism to get to the bottom of Teoh’s mysterious death at Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters at Shah Alam on July 16, 2009 after falling from MACC’s 14th floor.

The family’s confidence in the independence and professionalism was greatly crushed when the RCI today refused to accede to its requests, made through lawyers Karpal Singh and Gobind Singh Deo, firstly, that Commission Chairman Tan Sri James Foong should recuse himself as he is a sitting Federal Court judge and secondly, to be given time to seek judicial review over the appointment of deputy public prosecutors from the Attorney-General’s Chambers as conducting officers of the RCI.

How can anyone have confidence in the independence and professionalism of the Teoh Beng Hock RCI when on the one hand, officers from the AG’s Chambers are responsible for the conduct of the RCI while on the other hand, the Attorney-General is actively seeking a revision of the “Open Verdict” of the Teoh Beng Hock inquest?

As nobody believes that the Attorney-General wants to overturn the “Open Verdict” of the inquest because the coroner, Azmil Muntapha Abas, should have returned a finding of “death by homicide”, the only conclusion left is that the AG wants to repudiate the Coroner’s finding and return a verdict of “Death by Suicide”, i.e. that the MACC is completely exonerated for Teoh’s death.

How can the Teoh Beng Hock family or ordinary Malaysians have confidence in the independence and professionalism of the RCI when the officers responsible for the conduct of the RCI are officers from the AG’s Chambers – when at the very same time the Attorney-General is actively seeking to challenge the inquest finding ruling out “suicide” as the cause of Teoh’s death? Continue reading “Malaysians sympathise and support the decision of Teoh Beng Hock family to pull out of RCI as it has no confidence in its independence and professionalism”

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RCI into TBH’s mysterious death fulfilled only one of three criteria needed to fully satisfy public demands for a credible, high-level, wide-ranging and no-holds-barred probe

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s mysterious death fulfilled only one of three criteria needed to fully satisfy public demands for a credible, high-level, wide-ranging and no-holds-barred probe.

I had yesterday given the instant comment that the Royal Commission of Inquiry announced by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is “a step in the right direction” as it has an expanded scope to investigate into the cause of Teoh’s death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters at Shah Alam on July 16, 2009 – as Najib had earlier announced with full public support by the MCA President Datuk Dr. Chua Soi Lek that the RCI is only tasked with investigating MACC’s “investigation procedures” but specifically excluded from probing into the cause of Teoh’s death.

It was this limitation of the RCI from further probing into the “Open Verdict” of the Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas in Teoh’s inquest excluding suicide as the cause of Teoh’s death and the important finding of Teoh’s pre-fall neck injury, which had caused nation-wide consternation and outrage – further compounded by the refusal of the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail to give public accounting whether he was seeking to revise the Coroner’s “Open Verdict” to reject the finding excluding Teoh’s death as caused by suicide!

If Gani Patail had not wanted to revise the Coroner’s “Open Verdict” by striking out its finding excluding suicide as the cause of Teoh’s death, why didn’t the Attorney-General immediately exercised his powers and duties under Section 339(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code to take action and direct the police to initiate investigations against those MACC officers who must be held responsible for Teoh’s prefall neck injury and to get to the bottom of the truth about the relationship of Teoh’s prefall injury to his death?

While the RCI’s terms of reference now cover the cause of Teoh’s death, it scope has been narrowed from that originally announced by Najib in July 2009. Continue reading “RCI into TBH’s mysterious death fulfilled only one of three criteria needed to fully satisfy public demands for a credible, high-level, wide-ranging and no-holds-barred probe”

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‘Beng Hock and Interlok will not derail BN’s target’

by Regina Lee
Malaysiakini
Jan 22, 11

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is unfazed by the opposition’s attempts to raise the issues of Teoh Beng Hock’s death and the controversial textbook ‘Interlok’ at the Jan 30 by-election in Tenang.

Muhyiddin said he is confident that it will not dent the BN’s efforts to regain the 5,000-vote majority it had at the 2004 general election.

The BN’s by-election commander-in-chief said the opposition would be hard pressed in finding real issues during the contest, and would thus resort to spreading lies.

“There are not many issues in Tenang. The land demands by the second generation of Felda settlers is being considered by the government,” said Muhyiddin during a press conference after this morning’s nominations.

“In any by-election, there will always be new issues repeatedly played up by the opposition. They will look for one or create one that includes lies and slander.

“Although I don’t think it will effect us but we cannot keep quiet. If they make false statements, we will have to explain ourselves, lest the voters believe them,” he said when asked about Teoh Beng Hock and the novel ‘Interlok’. Continue reading “‘Beng Hock and Interlok will not derail BN’s target’”

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Najib cannot be more wrong. Tenang is about future of Malaysia – no more TBH Kugan Aminurasyid Krishnan & unaccounted deaths

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Tenang yesterday that he also want to know the real truth of Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

If so, it is not too late for him to meet the demands of Teoh Beng Hock’s family and the overwhelming majority of Malaysians who want to see that justice is not only done but seen to be done by setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe further into the Coroner’s finding of Teoh Beng Hock’s prefall neck injury.

The Teoh Beng Hock RCI should be a meaningful and high-powered one comprising independent and credible members with the widest terms of reference to ferret out the truth of Teoh’s death and a commitment that the government will accept and implement its findings unlike the Lingam Videotape RCI.

Although Najib pledged his commitment “to unravel the mystery” behind Teoh’s death in Tenang yesterday, and that “we have ways to find out the truth”, government actions in the past 18 months since Teoh’s tragic and outrageous death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009, where he had gone voluntarily to give his co-operation to the MACC as a witness and not as a suspect, had not inspired confidence that the Prime Minister would “leave no stone unturned” to uncover the whole truth about Teoh’s death.
Continue reading “Najib cannot be more wrong. Tenang is about future of Malaysia – no more TBH Kugan Aminurasyid Krishnan & unaccounted deaths”

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Talent Corpse

By Dean Johns | Malaysiakini

The late Teoh Beng Hock is a living symbol of the dilemma facing the millions of bright young expatriate Malaysians that Najib Razak is attempting to attract back home with his latest cynical political ploy, Talent Corp.

On the one hand many of them would dearly love to contribute their energy and skills to the growth and development of their homeland, and to enjoy its rich culture and fabulous food in the company of their families and old friends.

And on the other hand, most seem totally alienated by witnessing the plight of their contemporaries who, through courageous choice or force of circumstances, elect to stay in Malaysia under the deadly BN regime.

Admittedly the case of Teoh is an extreme example of the fate that awaits the best and the brightest in BN’s Malaysia. But his highly suspicious death while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), and the coroner’s bizarre finding that his demise was neither suicide nor homicide, are entirely symptomatic of the BN system.
Continue reading “Talent Corpse”