Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) assistant enforcement officer Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus said today police tried to link him to Teoh Beng Hock’s death.

He told the Royal Commission of Inquiry investigating the cause of the political aide’s death that police interrogated him on July 18, 2009, two days after Teoh was found dead.

“I was interrogated as if I had killed him,” said Mohd Ashraf, who was asked by MACC lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today about the questions that the police had asked about Teoh.

 

Teoh, who was political secretary to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was taken to the Selangor MACC office on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam for questioning on July 15, 2009.

NONE He was found dead, on the building’s fifth floor landing, the next day.

Mohd Ashraf ( left ), along with other MACC officers from its Selangor office, were questioned after Teoh’s death.

The assistant enforcement officer recounted today that he was interrogated at the Selangor police contingent headquarters for almost 12 hours in relation to the case.

“They asked me if I had slapped him (Teoh) or whether I used any object (to hit him),” he said when Muhammad Shafee asked whether he could remember the sort of questions posed by the police.

At this juncture, RCI chairperson Justice James Foong interrupted and questioned Mohd Ashraf.

Foong:

Do you know you received the most number of complaints, compared with other MACC officers?

Mohd Ashraf: No, I didn’t.

It was divulged at the coroner’s inquest into Teoh’s death, and later at this inquiry, that there were police reports lodged against Mohd Ashraf, accusing him of abusing and torturing suspects.

 

Foong: Now that you know of the complaints, did you try to change your behaviour or the way you interrogate?

Mohd Ashraf: No.

Foong: Why?

Mohd Ashraf:

Because I stopped interrogating after (the complaints).

Muhammad Shafee asked if there was any internal disciplinary investigation into the accusations against Mohd Ashraf, to which he said, “No, I’m not aware of any.”

Foong was baffled to why the police were investigating the allegations but the anti-graft authority did not probe the matter.

 

Complaints of abuse

Earlier, commissioner T Selventhiranathan had asked Mohd Ashraf if he was aware of the number of complaints of him abusing suspects that had been lodged against him.

       

NONE He admitted that there were police reports lodged against him, but could not remember how many.

“Can we refresh your memory? You don’t remember, but we can tell you. Do you want us to remind you how many times? Nine?” said Justice Foong ( left ), to which Mohd Ashraf  kept mum.

Bar Council lawyer N Nahendran had also asked Mohd Ashraf if he was ever accused of any disciplinary matter in MACC, to which Mohd Ashraf answered “no”.

However, he said “yes” when Nahendran asked if there were police reports lodged against him for committing violence during interrogations.

Nahendran then proceeded to ask the witness if he had hit Teoh on the head or his chest with a piece of wood or cane, or tried to strangle him at any time during the questioning.

“Did you force him to sit on a block of ice? Did you use a neck-hold or choke-hold? Did you at any time press on or step on his hand? Did you tie his hands to the chair?” asked Nahendran.

Mohd Ashraf denied committing such acts.

scah ipcmc talk 181207 edmund bon Another lawyer from the Bar Council, Edmund Bon ( right ), caught Mohd Ashraf contradicting himself when asked if he had seen the statement recorded from Teoh by another Selangor MACC officer, Mohd Nazri Ibrahim.

It was noted that Teoh was first interviewed by Mohd Ashraf and his colleague Arman Alias, and for the second time by Mohd Nazri, Selangor MACC’s senior assistant enforcement officer.

First, Mohd Ashraf said he read Teoh’s statement “one or two weeks” after Teoh’s fatal fall, but when pressed by Bon, he confessed that he had read the report immediately after it had been recorded.

Bon:

You said in the inquest that it was immediately after. Don’t tell me a few weeks (later), or else we will be investigating whether you have been coached to answer questions.

Mohd Ashraf: Yes, now I think I read the statement immediately.

He explained that his orders from the head of the Selangor MACC investigations unit, Hairul Ilham Hamzah, were to wrap up the investigations on the alleged misuse of state funds on the same day.

“So, because you were directed to (wrap up investigations), if Teoh asked to leave, you would have stopped him from leaving, yes?” asked Bon.

Mohd Ashraf:

We will ask him the reason for wanting to leave and ask him to stay on.

To which Selventhiranathan said: “In short, you were to complete investigations on Teoh, come hell or highwater?”

Bon:

I couldn’t have put it better, your honour.

Today’s hearing ended at this stage. It continues tomorrow with another MACC investigating officer, Arman Alias, taking the stand.