KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — Four years after political aide Teoh Beng Hock's death, his then-fiancée still succumbed to feelings when she spoke of a customary marriage ceremony that took place a few months after his funeral.

Soh Cher Wei, 32, was testifying in a negligence suit filed by Teoh's family against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the government and 12 others.

When asked by the plaintiff's lead counsel Gobind Singh Deo to explain why the marriage according to Chinese customs was carried out, Soh attempted to reply before breaking down in tears and was unable to continue.

High Court judge Rosnaini Saub then asked the court to stand down, with the court proceedings resuming at 2pm.

Taking the stand again later in the afternoon, Soh appeared composed and was able to reply questions directed to her.

A few days before Soh and Teoh's scheduled wedding registration on July 18, 2009, he was found dead after being brought to the Selangor MACC's then headquarters for interrogation.

Soh testified that she went through the customary marriage rites at Teoh's house in Malacca on October 3, 2009, with his family being the witnesses.

In her testimony today, Soh also disagreed that Teoh had committed suicide.

She also said that his initial plans to move to Malacca after the planned wedding was due to their priority on raising a family, stating that it did not indicate that Teoh did not like his job as a political secretary.

In her written statement that was tendered in court, Soh also spoke of the son that she was bearing at the time of Teoh's death, saying that the now four-year-old child will grow up without a father.

“Now I have to raise and pay for my son alone without the help of a husband. Although my family has fought for justice for my son and TBH, until today, we still have not received full closure on the circumstances surrounding TBH's death,” she said, referring to Teoh by his initials.

During cross-examination, Senior Federal Counsel Azizan Md Arshad had quizzed Soh on various points, including Teoh's monthly expenditure and whether the latter had told her of his work problems and stress.

Tomorrow, Teoh's parents and sister Teoh Lee Lan are expected to testify, with Gobind confirming that Thailand's famed pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand remains in the witness list.

On October 30 last year, four of Beng Hock's family members - his father Teoh Leong Hwee, his mother Teng Shuw Hoi, Soh and his son Teoh Er Jia - had filed the negligence suit, seeking damages for sadness, loss of dependency and negligence on the part of the defendants in his death.

The family are arguing that the MACC had allegedly failed to explain how Beng Hock was found dead, and claimed the anti-corruption agency's officers had “wrongfully attacked” the political aide to Selangor lawmaker Ean Yong Hian Wang during questioning, causing the “witness” to feel fear, torment, extreme distress and apprehension of immediate physical violence.

But the MACC and the government counter-claimed that Beng Hock's own negligence had caused his death.

In July 2009, Beng Hock was interrogated by MACC officers overnight before the 30-year-old groom-to-be was found dead the next day.

The DAP political aide's body was found on July 16, 2009 at a fifth-floor landing of Shah Alam's Plaza Masalam, with the Selangor MACC's office being located on the 14th floor then.

On January 5, 2011, coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas had delivered an open verdict at the end of an inquest into Beng Hock's death, ruling that his death was neither a suicide nor a homicide.

On July 21, 2011, a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Beng Hock’s death found that he was driven to suicide after aggressive, relentless and oppressive interrogation by three MACC officers.

In a separate court matter, the Court of Appeal has fixed January 23 next year to hear an application to review the open verdict on Beng Hock's death four years ago.

On February 10 last year, Teoh Meng Kee - Beng Hock’s elder brother - filed an application at the Court of Appeal to review the 2011 open verdict delivered by the Coroner’s Court.

The same application by Meng Kee was previously rejected by the High Court on December 1, 2011.