The graft-busters’ probe into alleged funds misappropriation in Selangor two years ago has been closed as it came to a dead end after the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) senior enforcement officer Mohd Anuar Ismail told the royal commission of inquiry into Teoh’s death today that it hit a blank wall as “investigations were hampered”.

raja petra shafee abdullah sedition case 150808 04 This emerged when MACC lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah ( right ) was cross-examining investigating officer Mohd Anuar, who took in Teoh as a witness on July 15, 2009, to the Selangor MACC office on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.

Teoh was discovered dead on the fifth floor corridor of the same building the next day.

An 18-month-long inquest investigating the cause of his death came out with an open verdict, prompting the formation of the royal commission last month.

Shafee asked the investigator if Teoh’s employer Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah’s statement was recorded during the investigations into the case of misuse of state funds.

Anuar: As long as I was the investigating officer, it was not taken... usually (only) recorded at the end of the case.

Shafee: Why towards the end?

Anuar: So that Ean Yong would be able to explain (the claims) from his viewpoint.

Shafee: Was Teoh’s (death) beneficial to the MACC?

Anuar: No, it’s an extreme loss for the MACC

Shafee: Why?

Anuar: Because (after Teoh died) it (investigations) hit an blank wall.

The royal commission is also tasked with scrutinising the MACC’s investigation procedures.

 

NONE Anuar ( left ) had said at an earlier hearing that the Selangor MACC was ordered off the case and the matter was taken over by the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Putrajaya.

He told the inquiry panel today that in investigations of such nature, the MACC usually took one to six months to wrap up a case.

The panel was also told earlier that Teoh, an integral witness in the MACC probe, was suspected of drafting four “incomplete” invoices from four companies, named as MKMN Enterprise, Syarikat Aris, Fizami Construction and MA Bina Melor Enterprise.

MACC Selangor investigations unit head Hairul Ilham Hamzah had testified earlier that the owners of the four companies had confessed to not doing the projects for which the invoices were prepared.

The “link was broken as Teoh was the connecting dot”, Anuar said, adding that after the death had occurred, there was “no explanation on Teoh’s connection with the contractors and how it was linked to Ean Yong”.

He added: “Teoh Beng Hock is the middleman for Ean Yong...  he is best to find (out) and point out (the problematic areas).”

This prompted panel head Justice James Foong to ask: “This is elementary... you could have found out about all this first (before asking Teoh).”

No orders, so research was not started

Commissioner T Selventhiranathan pointed out that the complaint on the misuse of state money was reported on June 24, 2009, and the team had almost three weeks to do legwork to establish the chain of evidence, since its operation only began on July 13.

Anuar replied he only knew that he was put in charge as the investigations officer on July 15 the same year.

He added that he did not start his research because there were “no orders” from his commanding officer.

Commissioner Dr Bhupinder Singh then asked, “so (it’s your way) to attack first and then see?” but Anuar repeated that he “had to study the documents and there were no orders”.

“Why didn’t you ask your boss, ‘I want to do this, so give me the orders’,” Bhupinder asked, to which Anuar replied: “Groundwork is one method and this (by going straight to the witness) is another.”

Another commissioner, Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom, interjected, and asked if the officers are “allowed to be creative or think out of the box, as long as it did not breach the law”.

Anuar said he “absolutely agreed” with Mohamed Hatta, but added that it “never crossed his mind” to request for orders.

That closed Anuar’s testimony as a witness. The inquiry resumes tomorrow with another witness from the MACC.