Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Title of “Datuk Seri” should not be conferred on Hishamuddin Hashim, suspected of being linked to the death of Teoh Beng Hock



MACC officer should not get award, says pro-Teoh Beng Hock group


The pro-Teoh Beng Hock group says Hishamuddin Hashim, a former Selangor MACC deputy director, should not receive the Seri Mahkota Wilayah award.


PETALING JAYA: A group dedicated to seeking justice for former political aide Teoh Beng Hock has asked for the award of Seri Mahkota Wilayah conferred on MACC senior director of investigations Hishamuddin Hashim to be withdrawn.

The group’s chairman, Ng Yap Hwa, said such a noble award, which carries the title of “Datuk Seri”, should not be conferred on a recipient suspected of being linked to the death of a citizen.

He contended that Hishamuddin, although not named by a royal commission of inquiry (RCI), was among the three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers whom he said were responsible for the aggressive interrogation of Teoh, which led to his death.

“The Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy is worried that certain parties have misled the authorities who recommended him for the award,” he said in a statement.

He claimed that the former Selangor MACC deputy director should not receive the award and should face action over Teoh’s death instead.

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 had gone into the Selangor MACC headquarters for questioning at its office on the 14th floor.

The RCI 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.

The Court of Appeal ruled that Teoh’s death was “as a result of, or accelerated by, an unlawful act or acts of persons unknown, inclusive of MACC officers”.


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