Group bids to trigger murder investigation on Teoh Beng Hock death

PETALING JAYA, Aug 11 — The Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy (TBHTD) sought today to trigger a police investigation into the alleged criminal conduct of anti-corruption officers implicated in the former DAP aide’s 2009 death.

The group lodged a police report at the Petaling district police headquarters to accuse 10 Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers variously of murder and wrongful confinement

Spokesman Ng Yap Hwa said the report should allow the police to investigate the matter after both the MACC and Attorney-General’s Chambers deferred to the law enforcement agency.

“Since the exposure of the police investigation on Teoh Beng Hock’s death under wrongful confinement, we are dissatisfied that government agencies are pushing the responsibility to each other.

“We have been waiting for more than 10 years and wanted justice for Teoh and his family. By lodging a police report today, we hope that the police would investigate the case under murder,’’ he said.

Ng expressed hope that the police will treat the investigation with urgency and transparency, and that they will be guided by the Court of Appeal ruling that concluded the MACC was criminally culpable for Teoh’s death.

The group named 10 MACC officers whom they said police should also investigate for criminal conspiracy, abetment to cover up, as well as the fabrication and destruction of evidence.

It also accused five of murder or, alternatively, culpable homicide.

Malay Mail is not identifying the 10 accused for legal reasons.

TBHTD legal representative Vincent Tan said the government should also take the matter seriously.

“The question now is not which agency should be in charge of the investigation but they should immediately investigate and should do so more transparently,’’ he said.

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 the Selangor officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in its state headquarters, then 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 July last year, it was reported that the police would comply with instructions from the Attorney General’s Chambers to conduct further investigations into Teoh’s death.

The AGC told Teoh’s family lawyer, Ramkarpal Singh, that the police will reinvestigate the case for wrongful confinement rather than murder as demanded by the family.