KUALA SELANGOR, 23 July 2009: The police investigation into the death of Teoh Beng Hock is expected to be completed before the inquest into the death of the political aide starts next week, said Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.
The police investigation was about 10% to 15% near completion, he told reporters after closing a Selangor contingent-level Quranic recital near here last night.
The cabinet yesterday ordered an inquest next week to determine the cause of death of Teoh, whose body was found on 16 July 2009 on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, which houses the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office on the 14th floor.
The cabinet also ordered the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry to study the MACC’s standard operating procedures in questioning witnesses.
The death of 30-year-old Teoh, who was a political aide to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, created public outcry after he was found dead following questioning as a witness by the MACC over alleged misuse of funds by certain Pakatan Rakyat state executive councillors.
Khalid said the police would not propose anything to the MACC in relation to the mode of questioning employed by the anti-graft agency.
“We will leave it to the royal commission to scrutinise the mode of questioning employed by the MACC. The commission has a clear term of reference (which is to determine whether human rights have been violated when questioning Teoh),” he said. Khalid also said that Teoh’s handphone was still with the police.
“We wanted to trace the calls made by the deceased before he was brought into MACC custody and the short messaging service (SMS) notes received before he was found dead,” he said.
He added that the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage from Plaza Masalam’s car park and lift areas were consistent with witnesses’ statements. — Bernama
Nicholas Aw says
The best that the police would be able to offer would not be conclusive as they would never be able to ascertain for sure how Teo Beng Hock died.
Let us learn from his death, however bitter it is. The authorities, be it the MACC, the police or any other enforcement agency have to follow strict guidelines to prevent another incident like this from happening.
There have been too many deaths while in police custody. In fact, there should be a check and balance to ensure that guidelines are strictly adhered to at all times. The problem in Bolehland is the “blow hot, blow cold†phenomenon. Soon everything will be forgotten until another death comes along.