Court decision makes search for answers ‘increasingly impossible’, says Pastor Koh’s wife
Susanna Liew says maintaining the stay order on investigations 'effectively prevents renewed scrutiny, accountability, and oversight'
Susanna Liew, the wife of missing Pastor Raymond Koh, has appealed to the prime minister for help, saying the case involves ‘my life, my family, and my hope’.
PETALING JAYA: Susanna Liew, the wife of Pastor Raymond Koh, who disappeared nine years ago, said the appellate court’s decision to maintain the stay order on investigations into her husband’s case effectively prevents renewed scrutiny, accountability, and oversight.
Liew laments that with each passing day, those responsible for Koh’s disappearance are given more time, while her family is “left waiting for answers that may become increasingly impossible to obtain”.
“What has caused me the greatest pain is that the stay was sought by parties who were themselves involved in the earlier investigative process,” she said in an open letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to seek his intervention.
The stay meant that the renewed investigation ordered by the court has been prevented from taking place and would also compromise the integrity of the investigative process, she said.
Liew said any delay would mean witnesses may become unavailable, crucial leads disappear, and digital evidence may be lost or altered.
“Everyday that the investigations remain halted is another day in which the truth becomes more difficult to uncover, evidence becomes more vulnerable, and the possibility of obtaining justice for my husband diminishes,” she said.
Koh was abducted on Feb 13, 2017 while he was driving along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya. During the trial, the court heard that five masked men in black military outfits had pulled him out of his car.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) subsequently concluded that Koh was a victim of enforced disappearance by the state.
Liew later filed a suit against the police and the government over the state’s involvement in his disappearance and the manner in which the authorities investigated the case.
On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal maintained the stay order on Koh’s investigations.
Justice Alwi Abdul Wahab also dismissed a bid by Koh’s family to set aside the suspension of a RM37 million-plus judgment awarded to them over his disappearance.
Liew said the court’s decision favoured “those who seek to avoid accountability, and prejudices those who seek only the truth”.
She pleaded with Anwar to prevent the case from “fading into silence” and ensure that the search for the truth continues.
“For me, this is not a case file or a legal process – it is my life, my family, and my hope.”
Liew laments that with each passing day, those responsible for Koh’s disappearance are given more time, while her family is “left waiting for answers that may become increasingly impossible to obtain”.
“What has caused me the greatest pain is that the stay was sought by parties who were themselves involved in the earlier investigative process,” she said in an open letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to seek his intervention.
The stay meant that the renewed investigation ordered by the court has been prevented from taking place and would also compromise the integrity of the investigative process, she said.
Liew said any delay would mean witnesses may become unavailable, crucial leads disappear, and digital evidence may be lost or altered.
“Everyday that the investigations remain halted is another day in which the truth becomes more difficult to uncover, evidence becomes more vulnerable, and the possibility of obtaining justice for my husband diminishes,” she said.
Koh was abducted on Feb 13, 2017 while he was driving along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya. During the trial, the court heard that five masked men in black military outfits had pulled him out of his car.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) subsequently concluded that Koh was a victim of enforced disappearance by the state.
Liew later filed a suit against the police and the government over the state’s involvement in his disappearance and the manner in which the authorities investigated the case.
On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal maintained the stay order on Koh’s investigations.
Justice Alwi Abdul Wahab also dismissed a bid by Koh’s family to set aside the suspension of a RM37 million-plus judgment awarded to them over his disappearance.
Liew said the court’s decision favoured “those who seek to avoid accountability, and prejudices those who seek only the truth”.
She pleaded with Anwar to prevent the case from “fading into silence” and ensure that the search for the truth continues.
“For me, this is not a case file or a legal process – it is my life, my family, and my hope.”
No comments:
Post a Comment