Beng Hock's wife: It's a slap in the face

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 .

Key section of RCI report: Findings on Teoh's death

RCI: Teoh Beng Hock committed suicide

What four gruelling interrogations did to Teoh

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

'Fourth interrogation' broke Teoh, postulates RCI

Chronology of events leading to Teoh RCI

MACC to study and act on RCI report