Teoh Beng Hock's death: Group urges PM to bring in international experts

A group has called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to bring in international experts to assist police in wrapping up the long-standing investigation into Teoh Beng Hock's death.

The Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement (TBH-ADA) today said this is important following the civil court order for the authorities to complete the probe over the 2009 incident in six months.

The group's chairperson Ng Yap Hwa said the Kuala Lumpur High Court noted that the police sent the investigation papers eight times to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) but were all rejected.

"That shows our police are incompetent or lack the ability to conduct the investigation.

"The judge said the police must complete the investigation within the next six months (from today).

"I urge the prime minister to reconsider inviting international criminal experts to come to Malaysia and assist in the investigation.

"We need international experts to be involved because, as the judge said, truth and justice are important.

"Every citizen must be protected, (especially over) fundamental human rights. Hope the Madani government considers the family's appeal," Ng (above, right) told the media at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex.

During the same press conference, Beng Hock's sister Teoh Lee Lan expressed her gratitude for today's court ruling, adding that this would allow the family and the public to finally get the answers to the incident 15 years ago.

She also hoped that the police would take the opportunity within the next six months to fully investigate the case.

Judicial review

Beng Hock was found dead on July 16, 2009, on the fifth-floor service corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after being questioned overnight at the Selangor MACC headquarters on the 14th floor.

At the time of his death, he was a political aide to Selangor executive councillor and DAP Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah.

In 2011, a Royal Commission of Inquiry determined that Beng Hock was driven to commit suicide following the anti-graft watchdog's aggressive questioning.

In 2014, the Court of Appeal unanimously ruled his death was caused by the act of “person or persons unknown”, including the MACC officers who questioned him overnight before he was found dead.

In January 2022, his parents filed a judicial review due to the alleged failure of the police to complete their investigation into his death.

The court today allowed the action, giving an ultimatum for the authorities to wrap up the probe within six months.

In 2019, then-attorney-general Tommy Thomas wrote to the deceased's lawyers to explain that the classification of the case as wrongful confinement instead of culpable homicide was merely an administrative procedure.

Thomas explained there was still insufficient evidence to proffer a culpable homicide charge but added that this would not stop investigators from gathering more evidence.

He also said the AGC instructed the police to open an investigation paper classified under Section 342 of the Penal Code for the offence of wrongful confinement.

He added that the state of the evidence was insufficient to proffer a case under Section 304 or 304A of the Penal Code.

Section 304 deals with the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while Section 304A is over the offence of causing death by negligence.

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