Pastor Koh's family still tracking down 2 special task force members

The family of pastor Raymond Koh is still tracking down the chairperson and a member of a special task force (STF) which investigated his abduction seven years ago.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers today updated the Kuala Lumpur High Court on the Home Ministry being unaware of the whereabouts of Abdul Rahim Uda and Zamri Yahya.

In 2019, then home minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that former High Court judge Rahim would head the enforced disappearance STF, while then police Integrity and Standard Compliance Department director Zamri were among the members.

Koh’s wife Susanna Liew is seeking the testimony of these two former STF members to strengthen her ongoing lawsuit to compel the authorities to divulge the whereabouts of her husband, who went missing on Feb 13, 2017.

The family wished to cross-examine the two men over the contents of the STF classified report on the enforced disappearance, which they received earlier today.

Subpoenas served

The government’s representative, senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid told judge Su Tiang Joo late this morning that the ministry and the police were served the family’s subpoena for these two former STF members.

She noted however that the ministry does not know where Rahim is at present, as he was part of the judiciary and has never been under the ministry.

“KDN (Home Ministry) does not know where Rahim is. We believe a search needs to be made by the plaintiff (Liew) to serve (the subpoena) on Rahim,” Farhana said.

The SFC added that in relation to Zamri, he has since retired from the police force, and the AGC would liaise with the authorities to determine his whereabouts.

Liew’s counsel Jerald Gomez then informed the civil court they would need time to track down Rahim to serve the subpoena on him.

The counsel also urged the AGC to share the information on Zamri’s current address with the family as soon as possible in order to facilitate an expedited full hearing of the suit.

Su then adjourned proceedings to tomorrow morning.

In 2019, a Suhakam inquiry concluded that Koh’s abduction was an enforced disappearance perpetrated by the police’s Special Branch.

Liew, 67, subsequently launched the ongoing civil suit for the disclosure of her 68-year-old husband’s whereabouts.

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