The family of customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamad, who died of a fall from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Jalan Cochrane in 2011, has filed a suit against the government, MACC, and seven others for “unlawful killing” today.

The suit was filed by Sarbaini’s wife Maziah Manap and son Shahril Ahmad Sarbaini through their lawyers N Surendran and Sasha Lynna Abdul Latiff at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.

MACC chief Abu Kassim Mohamed and six MACC officers who were involved in questioning Sarbaini were also named in the suit, which seeks up to RM8 million in damages.

A coroner’s court ruled in September 2011 that Sarbaini’s death was accidental. Sarbaini was found dead at a badminton court at the foot of  the MACC building on the morning of April 6 the same year.

He was survived by his wife and five children, who are claiming that battery and assault was committed against Sarbaini, and that the officers were also negligent.

The family are unhappy with the finding of the coroner court and Surendran said today that via the suit, the family is looking for more “proof” as to what actually transpired on the day of Sarbaini’s death.

“Will a top customs officer deliberately climb and simply walk for fun on the ledge?” Surendran asked.

Sarbaini ( left ) was a customs assistant director attached to the Port Klang customs and was one of many custom officers being probed by MACC over alleged corruption at the time of his death.

According to MACC, he willingly came to MACC on the day of his death in order to change a previous statement given to the commission.

 

“It is absurd to believe that Ahmad Sarbaini, who had a respectable career and a family to care for, would deliberately climb over a window ledge,” Surendran said.

 

He also pointed out that the CCTV recordings at the time of the incident has been erased.

MACC did not charge anyone over the corruption probe and eventually dropped the case soon after Sarbaini’s death.