Teoh Beng Hock group wants the new IGP to update them on probe
Teoh Beng Hock was found dead on the fifth floor of a building in Shah Alam, hours after he was interrogated by Selangor MACC in 2009.
PETALING JAYA: A group dedicated to seeking justice for political aide Teoh Beng Hock has called on newly appointed inspector-general of police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani to provide an update on the probe into his death.
The Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy wants the incoming top cop to reveal when the police are going to complete the probe and make public the result, adding that it had been three years since the case was reopened.
Its chairman, Ng Yap Hwa, said for the past two years, they had incessantly followed up on the matter through parliamentary questions, press statements, engagements with the police and the Attorney-General’s Chamber.
“However, the home ministry refused to disclose details of the investigation on grounds that ‘it is still under investigation’.”
The police, Ng said, had a statutory duty to inform the victim’s family and the complainant about the progress of the investigation.
“How can the police gain the confidence of the public if it continues to delay the probe into the case that shocked the nation 12 years ago?”
The IGP must therefore immediately announce the result of their re-opened probe into Teoh’s death.
In 2009, Teoh, who was the political aide to then Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after he was interrogated by Selangor Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) at its office on the 14th floor of the same building.
A royal commission of inquiry concluded that Teoh was driven to suicide by the aggressive interrogation methods used by MACC officers. It also blamed three officers for their aggressive methods, which it said had violated procedures.
In 2018, it was reported that police would comply with instructions from the AGC to conduct further investigations into Teoh’s death.
The Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy wants the incoming top cop to reveal when the police are going to complete the probe and make public the result, adding that it had been three years since the case was reopened.
Its chairman, Ng Yap Hwa, said for the past two years, they had incessantly followed up on the matter through parliamentary questions, press statements, engagements with the police and the Attorney-General’s Chamber.
“However, the home ministry refused to disclose details of the investigation on grounds that ‘it is still under investigation’.”
The police, Ng said, had a statutory duty to inform the victim’s family and the complainant about the progress of the investigation.
“How can the police gain the confidence of the public if it continues to delay the probe into the case that shocked the nation 12 years ago?”
The IGP must therefore immediately announce the result of their re-opened probe into Teoh’s death.
In 2009, Teoh, who was the political aide to then Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, hours after he was interrogated by Selangor Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) at its office on the 14th floor of the same building.
A royal commission of inquiry concluded that Teoh was driven to suicide by the aggressive interrogation methods used by MACC officers. It also blamed three officers for their aggressive methods, which it said had violated procedures.
In 2018, it was reported that police would comply with instructions from the AGC to conduct further investigations into Teoh’s death.
On 19 July 2014, the fifth anniversary of Teoh Beng Hock memorial forum 'Human Rights and Political Justice' at the KLSCAH, that Lim KS made a speech as follows (extracts):
correction to caption in photo - t'was NOT in police custody but in MACC custody
The scandal of Beng Hock’s tragic death at the MACC headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009 is not just MACC officers “were prepared to go to great lengths to lie” but the MACC as an institution which went to great lengths to participate in a conspiracy of silence and lies to pervert the course of justice to “cover up” the actual causes and circumstances of Beng Hock’s death. [...]
Beng Hock’s death would be “in vain” if firstly, his killers remain free and unpunished; and secondly, the MACC is not held responsible and liable for his death and instead allowed to “go to great lengths” to participate in a “cover-up” of the actual causes and circumstances of Beng Hock’s death at the TBH RCI, with MACC officers telling “lies after lies” at the RCI.
I call on Malaysians to stand for justice and to make a commitment that they will not rest until the “cover-up” of Teoh Beng Hock’s criminal and senseless murder is exposed and the killers, including MACC, are brought to justice.
DAP and Pakatan Rakyat will continue to highlight the injustice of Teoh Beng Hock’s unresolved murder at MACC premises in the next meeting of Parliament.
Beng Hock’s death would be “in vain” if firstly, his killers remain free and unpunished; and secondly, the MACC is not held responsible and liable for his death and instead allowed to “go to great lengths” to participate in a “cover-up” of the actual causes and circumstances of Beng Hock’s death at the TBH RCI, with MACC officers telling “lies after lies” at the RCI.
I call on Malaysians to stand for justice and to make a commitment that they will not rest until the “cover-up” of Teoh Beng Hock’s criminal and senseless murder is exposed and the killers, including MACC, are brought to justice.
DAP and Pakatan Rakyat will continue to highlight the injustice of Teoh Beng Hock’s unresolved murder at MACC premises in the next meeting of Parliament.
Yet, just one lousy year after his above-mentioned speech excoriating the MACC and vowing to seek justice for TBH, Lim Kit Siang himself led DAP and Pakatan opposition leaders to the MACC office in Putrajaya today to show support for the agency against the police who have been questioning MACC officers on suspicion of leaking documents in its investigation on the state-owned fund.
Lim Kit Siang with MACC strategic communications director Rohaizad Yaakob (centre) and other opposition leaders at the MACC Office in Putrajaya, August 6, 2015. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
What a fCking hypocrite and traitor to Teoh Beng Hock's family and his memory
And just one lousy year after his pathetic pompous speech vowing:
Beng Hock’s death would be “in vain” if firstly, his killers remain free and unpunished; and secondly, the MACC is not held responsible and liable for his death and instead allowed to “go to great lengths” to participate in a “cover-up” of the actual causes and circumstances of Beng Hock’s death at the TBH RCI, with MACC officers telling “lies after lies” at the RCI.
I call on Malaysians to stand for justice and to make a commitment that they will not rest until the “cover-up” of Teoh Beng Hock’s criminal and senseless murder is exposed and the killers, including MACC, are brought to justice.
And just one lousy year after his pathetic pompous speech vowing:
Beng Hock’s death would be “in vain” if firstly, his killers remain free and unpunished; and secondly, the MACC is not held responsible and liable for his death and instead allowed to “go to great lengths” to participate in a “cover-up” of the actual causes and circumstances of Beng Hock’s death at the TBH RCI, with MACC officers telling “lies after lies” at the RCI.
I call on Malaysians to stand for justice and to make a commitment that they will not rest until the “cover-up” of Teoh Beng Hock’s criminal and senseless murder is exposed and the killers, including MACC, are brought to justice.
In that flabbergasting volte-face attitude vis-a-vis the MACC, Lim Kit Siang showed his pathetic selfish opportunistic hypocrisy to the family of Teoh Beng Hock but worse, to his very own words which we had long respected but must now re-evaluate kaukau.
Lim Kit Siang broke our true-to-DAP hearts by his treachery to Teoh Beng Hock and family.
A very shallow person UN-true to his very own words, many times over.
PH had the opportunity to pursue the issue when it was in power but alas, PH spent lots of time in wasted internal debates.
ReplyDeleteQUOTE
DeleteAG on Beng Hock case: Classification procedural, evidence not yet sufficient
Published 17 Jul 2019
Attorney-General Tommy Thomas explained that the classification of Teoh Beng Hock's case as wrongful confinement instead of culpable homicide was merely an administrative procedure.
In a letter to lawyer Ramkarpal Singh, who is representing Teoh's family, Thomas explained there was still insufficient evidence to proffer a culpable homicide charge but added that this will not stop investigators from gathering more evidence.
"The instruction from this Chambers to the police to open an investigation paper classified under Section 342 of the Penal Code is merely an administrative procedure.
"This decision was necessary because despite numerous rounds of scrutiny by officers in Chambers, most recently in March 2019, of the evidence collected from investigation into possible homicide following the Court of Appeal's finding, the present state of evidence is insufficient to proffer a charge under Section 304 or 304A of the Penal Code.
"This recent classification does not however in any way prevent investigators from looking into the truth or as to who were involved in his death," he said.
Section 342 concerns wrongful confinement, which carries a prison term of up to a year, or RM2,000 fine or both.
Section 304 concerns culpable homicide which carries a prison term of up to 30 years and a fine if done with the intention to cause death or up to 10 years, or a fine or both if done with the intention of causing bodily harm that is likely to cause death but not to the extent of having intention to cause death.
Section 304A concerns causing death by negligence which carries a punishment of up to two years, a fine or both.
Thomas, in the letter dated July 8, said an investigation under Section 342 is consistent with the Court of Appeal's finding that "Teoh was not free to leave MACC's premise although he was never placed under arrest".
He also assured that the case could be reclassified if and when new evidence comes to light.
"Please be assured that should there be sufficient evidence uncovered by the police, the public prosecutor is not prevented by reason of such an administrative classification from bringing a charge under culpable homicide or any other suitable charge in order to bring those responsible to justice," he said.
UNQUOTE
There is tremendous, tremendous official and institutional resistance to exposing the truth about Teoh Beng Hock's death - and that has nothing to do with Lim Kit Siang.
ReplyDeleteFrom MACC to PDRM to AG to UMNO to PAS to Moo to Najib's whitewash RCI.