'What further cooperation required from us?' - Teoh family chides cops

Summary

• Teoh Beng Hock’s family refutes police claim that they were uncooperative in their reinvestigation into his death.

• Beng Hock's sister Teoh Lee Lan regards the Bukit Aman CID director's remarks as an attempt to deflect authorities from blame.

• She says the family has been providing multiple statements and testimonies since the political aide's death in 2009.

The family of Teoh Beng Hock today has condemned Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Shuhaily Zain for alleging they have been uncooperative in police reinvestigation into his death.

In a statement, Beng Hock's sister Teoh Lee Lan said the accusation was unfounded and malicious against their family.

She claimed that Shuhaily was trying to mislead the public and shift blame away from the authorities.

"We condemn the police for slandering our family with false claims of non-cooperation to cover up the consequences of their fundamental error in applying Section 342 (Wrongful Confinement) of the Penal Code instead of treating this as a murder case.

"This is nothing but a shameful attempt to evade responsibility," she added.

Lee Lan was responding to Shuhaily's remarks during a press conference for selected media yesterday, where he said the family has been uncooperative during the police reinvestigation process.

"The investigation is limited in terms of resources, as it was 15 years ago. We are unable to reinterview some witnesses, while others refuse to come forward.

"We also called up (Beng Hock’s) family members, but they did not give good cooperation," the police commissioner was reported as saying.

Multiple statements given over years

Lee Lan said her family has gone through multiple questioning since Beng Hock's death in 2009.

These include questioning at the Kajang police station, giving their testimonies in court, and psychological evaluations by government-appointed experts, she added.

She said all their statements and testimonies are documented and police investigators have access to the records.

"Shuhaily - what further cooperation do you require from us?

"With six police investigations conducted over 16 years, why is our 'lack of cooperation' only being raised now as an excuse?" Lee Lan said.

Focus on unresolved issues

In February, Beng Hock’s family told the police to steer their investigation in the right direction and highlighted 10 unresolved issues.

The family criticised the police for repeatedly questioning them instead of investigating the MACC officers implicated in Beng Hock’s death.

Beng Hock, an aide to then-Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead after overnight questioning at Selangor MACC, which was then headquartered at Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam.

A 2011 Royal Commission of Inquiry ruled he was driven to suicide due to aggressive interrogation. However, in 2014, the Court of Appeal ruled his death was caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those of MACC officers.

On Nov 21 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered the police to complete the investigation into his death within six months after appeals court judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh allowed a judicial review application by Beng Hock’s parents.

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