The Shah Alam High Court today postponed to July 14 and 15 the hearing of the Attorney-General's revision application over the open verdict of the Coroner's Court on the death of Teoh Beng Hock.

ghani patail gani 060409 Justice Mohtarudin Baki said the Commission of Inquiry investigating the political aide's death would have completed its task by then, and the court would have access to all the notes of proceedings and exhibits which were with the commission.

Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail (left) had put in the application for the postponement.

He was represented in court by DPP Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar who said the request was made so that the revision application would be heard after the Commission of Inquiry had concluded its proceedings.

"We are not buying time or stopping the family from seeking justice but this application was initiated by the AG himself with the intention to find out the truth in this matter," Mohd Dusuki said.

The commission had announced that a report of its findings will be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on June 24.

NONE Lawyer Karpal Singh (right) , counsel for Teoh's family, objected to Gani's request for the postponement, saying the attorney-general had filed the revision application well before the announcement on the setting up of the commission and that the hearing should go ahead in the interest of justice.

"There must be justice for the family. The AG's application at this juncture is mala fide (with or in bad faith).

"In fact, there was no indication from his office that he was seeking an adjournment since this matter came up for case management on Feb 17," he pointed out.

Gani had filed the revision application on Jan 5, the same day that Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas delivered an open verdict and ruled that the death of Teoh in 2009 was neither a suicide nor homicide.

Teoh, political secretary to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16, 2009, on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after he had given a statement at the office of the Selangor branch of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the 14th floor of the same building.

Justice Mohtarudin said he agreed with Karpal Singh that the hearing of the revision application should proceed, but added that the court needed all the notes of proceedings and exhibits of the inquiry which were currently with the commission.

"I do agree to proceed with this application as soon as possible, but this court needs all the records and, without it, we can't go on with the hearing and, therefore, I'm granting the application for adjournment," he ruled.

- Bernama