Teoh’s sister: My brother was murdered

Tarani Palani | July 21, 2011

Teoh Beng Hock’s family rejects the RCI findings that he committed suicide and will consider a judicial review.

KUALA LUMPUR: The family of Teoh Beng Hock said today that they rejected the findings of the Royal Commission Inquiry (RCI) that Teoh had committed suicide due to aggressive interrogation techniques by three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers.

Teoh’s sister Teoh Lee Lan told reporters that the family cannot accept the report’s conclusion that her brother had been driven to suicide, saying that her brother was not a weak individual.

“We cannot accept the (RCI’s) conclusion… that he was driven to suicide. That is not an answer to us,” she said .

The clearly distraught and angry Lee Lan said that RCI report still failed to provide answers. Although it had pointed to bad interrogation techniques, it fell short of stating that Teoh was murdered.

“(The report) showed that he was badly tortured. But did they prove that Beng Hock was murdered? These RCI finding shows how bad MACC procedure is. (But) it did not tell us what really happened to Beng Hock,”she said.

“It is not an answer for us. We will continue to fight for justice.”

Lee Lan, who was reduced to tears during the press conference, said that her brother was not weak.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s department Nazri Abdul Aziz said earlier that the RCI conclusion was also supported by forensic psychiatrist Dr Paul Mullen, who was engaged by the Bar Council.

Mullen had said that Teoh’s risk of committing suicide soared drastically due to the long hours of aggressive interrogation.

Lee Lan also said that the MACC had killed her sibling, quoting many eye-witnesses who have recounted their experiences during RCI proceedings.

“They killed him. This fact we know,” she said adamantly.

Lee Lan also slammed the government saying: “The RCI report merely tell us that the government doesn’t want to bear the responsibility. They used some improper manner, but nobody tells who should bear the responsibility.”

“We will not compromise, we will go nationwide and tell all that you are an irresponsible government.”

‘Time needed to study report’

Meanwhile, family lawyer, Karpal Singh, said that more time was need in order to study the report carefully before deciding on the next course of action.

He added that they will most likely decide on the matter next week.

Asked if any legal criminal charges can be taken against the three MACC interrogators, Karpal said that the focus should instead be on the RCI conclusion that Teoh had committed suicide.

“We have to look at the larger picture (the matter) of suicide. The finding (that was) suicide, that is what we are concerned about,” Karpal said, agreeing with the family’s sentiment that they did not accept the verdict of suicide.

Karpal also said that the family would definitely consider a judicial review as suggested by Nazri.

“The RCI, although it is a royal inquiry, it is still an inferior tribunal. In law, its findings are still reviewable by the High Court,” he added.

Elaborating further on the matter of criminal prosecution of the MACC officers, another lawyer for the family, Gobind Singh, said that legal action against officers alleged to have abetted Teoh’s suicide was not a common occurrence and needs time to be studied.

“It is not something that commonly happens. I can tell you in India there is a law that prosecutes in-laws who drive women to suicide,” he said, adding that Malaysia did not have such law.

The RCI, which was headed by Federal Court Judge James Foong, had reached its conclusion unanimously.

Its proceedings, which began in February this year, ended after five months which saw the five-men commission taking testimonies from some 70 witnesses, including MACC and police officers and other forensic experts.

The 124-page report was then was submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin on June 22. A copy was also given to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Teoh Beng Hock’s wife: It’s a slap in the face

Soh Cher Wei compares the findings of the commissioners a ‘slap’ that has woken her from slumber. The wife of Teoh Beng Hock has described the months of anticipation waiting for the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into her husband’s death as a “dream” that had just ended. “Thanking” the RCI for allowing her at least to have false hopes that justice would be done over her husband’s death, Soh Cher Wei (left) compared the findings of the commissioners a “slap” that had woken her from slumber. “Thanks to the RCI for letting me dream for a few months. Now that I’ve been slapped (awake), it’s time to rise,” she said in a mobile text message to the press. Meanwhile, in Alor Gajah, Teoh’s mother does not acept the RCI’s finding that her son committed suicide. Teng Shuw Hoi, 58, said she does not believe her son committed suicide because he was a good person. “I am a mother, I cannot accept that my son committed suicide,” she told Bernama when met at her home today. Teng did not wish to comment further and said the family’s lawyer would be making a statement on the matter. She said she and her husband Teoh Leong Hwee and the other members of her family would be going to Kuala Lumpur later today to meet their lawyers. Sombre mood at family’s press conference Later in the evening, a sombre mood hung over Teoh’s family’s press conference, as the RCI report had dashed their hopes of proving Beng Hock was murdered. “We cannot accept this decision. Beng Hock driven to suicide, is not an answer for us,” slammed Teoh’s sister Lee Lan, unable to hold back her tears. “The whole country knows that Beng Hock wouldn’t commit suicide, but the government refused to bear the responsibility.” Silently weeping by Lee Lan’s (right) side was her mother Teng and father Leong Hwee, who all vouched that their youngest son was “not weak” as stated in the findings of the RCI. “They (RCI) proved that Beng Hock was treated badly and tortured. But they did not show that Beng Hock was murdered,” said Lee Lan, insisting that her brother was killed. “The RCI report merely tells us that the government doesn’t want to bear the responsibility. “What really happened to Beng Hock? They said they searched through all the evidence but did they really perform their job. This is not an answer,” she said. The family’s lawyer, Karpal Singh said that they are in the process of studying and dissecting the report before pursuing the matter further. “This is unacceptable, they (the family) wants justice done not the ruling of suicide,” said Karpal, adding that the family is not ruling out a judicial review of the findings. He added that they do not regret pulling out from RCI proceedings in the beginning. Beng Hock’s family had applied to have the RCI proceeding postponed until the revision of the inquest’s open verdict was decided upon. However, this was denied. The revision pending in the Shah Alam High Court is expected to heard on Aug 18 and 19. Karpal, however, added that the RCI is an “inferior tribunal” and its findings are reviewable by the high court. Quizzed on whether there are legal avenues to prosecute the three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers found guilty of driving Beng Hock to suicide during the overnight questioning on July 16, 2009, he said: “There cannot be an abetment to suicide. Most probably disciplinary action will be taken against them.” Lawyer Gobind Singh also agreed but added that they have yet to thoroughly study the report to make a conclusive statement. Legal recourse to punish the three MACC officers for driving Beng Hock to suicide is “not something common”, he said. “It is not something that commonly happens. I can tell you in India there is a law that allows for the prosecution of family (in-laws) who drive women to suicide,” he said, adding that Malaysia did not have such law. Ex-boss: MACC caused Beng Hock’s death Teoh’s former boss, Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hean Wah, said in a statement that he still does not believe that Beng Hock committed suicide. However, he said the RCI report at least proved that the investigate officer of MACC had abused their power. It is true that they had applied tough measures on Teoh and they also used improper procedures in interrogating Beng Hock. Ean Yong (right) claimed that due to this abuse of power, tough measures and improper interrogation procedure, the MACC had caused the death of Beng Hock. “The RCI’s investigation process seems to be reasonable, which also exposed lots of MACC’s scandals. But the investigation report was out of expectations and seems unreasonable. “I believe that all Malaysians will have their own measurement in themselves, and the truth of the incident will never able to be covered up,” he added. “In fact, the investigation results of MACC shown that neither me nor Beng Hock was involved in any abused of power or receive any bribe. This also proved that the action of MACC was to act against Pakatan’s assemblypersons in Selangor and has an ulterior political motive behind it along with PM Najib Abdul Razak’s conspiracy on getting back Selangor political power ‘at all costs’,” Ean Yong said. He vowed to continue to try to find out the truth about Beng Hock’s death, until the real murderer has been charged, and justice is done. TI-M: Public has to trust findings In another development, Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) president Paul Low told Bernama that the public has to trust the findings of the RCI. “We have to trust the findings of the RCI because it is properly constituted with people of integrity,” he told reporters in Putrajaya today. However, Low (right) said the way of interrogation by the MACC needed to be revamped. “This is to make sure it is done in a professional and proper manner,” he said. “If they violate the SOPs (standard operating procedures), then under the disciplinary procedures of the MACC, they have to take the proper action,” he said, referring to the MACC officers who interrogated Teoh. Additional reporting by Nigel Aw.

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