Although many fingerprints were found on the window from which Teoh Beng Hock was believed to have fallen, none of the owners of the fingerprints could be ascertained, a police forensic witness told inquest proceedings today.

NONE Chief Inspector Mazli Jusoh, 31, told the inquest into the death of the political aide to a Selangor exco member that all the fingerprints appeared to be incomplete.

Mazli said he did not record nor photograph the fingerprints as none of them fulfilled the criteria required.

"In this case, there certainly were fingerprints but they were incomplete and showed negative results as they were incomplete nature. We need at least eight characteristics," he said when recalled to testify.

Teoh, 30, political aide to Ean Yong Hian Wah was found dead on July 16 on the fifth floor corridor of the Plaza Masalam, in Shah Alam after giving his statement to the Selangor MACC as a witness in the investigation into allegations of misappropriation of Selangor state government funds.

The Selangor MACC office is located in Plaza Masalam.

Mazli said about eight lines could be seen on the window but they were incomplete in nature as required by procedure.

NONE He had explained to the court the procedure adopted in identifying fingerprints, saying that the lines on the fingers are similar to the lines on the palm.

Gobind Singh Deo, who is holding a watching brief for Teoh's family, askd which sections of the window he had inspected.

Mazli replied: "I inspected the glass, window frame and the bottom section.

"In this case, the fingerprints which were incomplete were not taken as the window was dusty, because if we take them (fingerprints), sometimes the features are incomplete, only 50-50. The place was dusty, the lines (from the fingerprints) were not clearly defined."

He said that throughout the investigation he had never discussed with Dr Khairul Azman Ibrahim, the senior medical consultant of the Forensic Department of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, as to how Teoh had fallen.

azlan Smoking area

However, he said he knew that the area near the particular window was used by the staff of the MACC as a place for smoking.

When cross-examined, Mazli appeared to be angered by several questions posed by Gobind Singh especially on the lack of a report on the fingerprint verification.

Mazli had earlier explained to the court that whenever the fingerprints were negative, he would not do any documentation and no report would be recorded.

To this, Gobind Singh retorted: "In that case, you can come to the court and just say that you could not verify the fingerprints at all."

"If there is none (fingerprints), then there is nothing," Mazli responded.

On the traces of sweat which were not taken from the window, Mazli said if the sweat specimen was to be taken using the swab method, it would damage the fingerprints.

- Bernama