Inquest into Teoh’s death, Royal Commission on MACC's treatment (Updated with Q&A)

By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN and DHARMENDER SINGH

PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has agreed to set up an inquest into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock as well as a Royal Commission of Inquiry to look into the interrogation methods used on him by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Cabinet during its meeting Wednesday also decided that the inquest into Teoh’s cause of death would be headed by a magistrate as dictated by law.

It will be up to the courts to decide which magistrate would be in charge of the inquest, he added.

Najib said the courts had already been notified of the Cabinet decision and he expected the inquest to begin sometime next week.

“The Royal Commission will be set up according to specific terms, which is to scrutinise and study the procedures related to interrogations that are used by the MACC. It will also identify if there were any violations of human rights during Teoh’s interrogation.

“The members of the Commission will be announced later ,” he told a press conference here Wednesday.

He said the investigations by the Royal Commission were necessary to ensure there was no repeat of such incidents and the steps being taken mirrored the Government’s commitment to finding out the cause of death so that Teoh’s family and the public can know what really happened.

Teoh, 30, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam last Thursday after giving his statement to the Selangor MACC which had been investigating allegations that certain state assemblymen had misused constituency funds.

Teoh, Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah’s political secretary, was not a suspect but had been questioned as a witness.

Najib said that in line with the 1Malaysia concept of “People First, Performance Now,” he had told the Cabinet that government institutions were created to protect the people’s rights and interests, and as such they cannot act against or neglect these interests or act beyond the country’s laws and Constitution.

He said the Cabinet also ordered the Home Ministry and the police to complete the investigations into the Teoh’s death as soon as possible and he was told that it would be ready within the next few days.

He said the report would be made public when it was completed and he would personally meet with Teoh’s family to explain to them the findings.

He also said that Cabinet members were just as anxious to know the cause of death and hoped that all parties would be patient and refrain from making statements that could cause confusion or create the wrong perception on the issue while the investigations were still ongoing.

He also called on all parties not to politicise Teoh’s death.

The following are Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s responses to questions from the media:

Was there any pressure to form the Commission?

Najib: No. It’s because we want to establish the truth and it’s important for us to ensure public faith and confidence in important institutions that we have in this country.

When do you think the police can complete their investigations? What kind of time frame will be set?

I know that the police can wrap up their investigations very soon. I think we are talking about a matter of days. For the magistrate (on the inquest), I don’t want to put a time frame because that is up to the magistrate to decide (on when it should be held). The Royal Commission will be established quite soon.

The investigation by the Royal Commission, will it be into Teoh’s death?

It will be on the procedures (of MACC interrogations). The inquest will look into Teoh’s death,

Who will be the members of the Commission?

We will announce this later.

Have you named the magistrate?

No, that is up to the court to decide. We have taken steps to notify the court of the need to convene an inquest. So I expect the inquest to start some time within next week.

There’s an online news portal (saying) that the MACC has suspended their investigation into the alleged misuse of constituency funds by Selangor exco members.
No, we cannot have any presumption (of guilt). We have to wait for the results of the investigations first.

What will the Commission investigate?

It will be on the (MACC’s) procedures relating to its investigation, not the investigation on Teoh’s death and the normal investigations conducted by the MACC.

Has the MACC investigation team been suspended?

They have not been suspended, but the lead investigator has been reassigned to the (MACC) headquarters. We cannot have a presumption of guilt.

Will the Commission investigate Teoh’s death?

No, the death will be left to the inquest. The inquest on the cause of death is conducted by a magistrate, so we have to follow the law.