Thursday, July 21, 2011

RCI : TBH Driven To Suicide

The Royal Commission of Inquiry's verdict: Teoh Beng Hock was driven to "commit suicide by “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” interrogation by three MACC officers."

This brings a closure to this very tragic case. Rather, it should.

But not for TBH's family. As expected, they have rejected the suicide verdict and may ask for a judicial review.

Family lawyer Karpal Singh is studying the RCI report. He told reporters that they may request a judicial review of the suicide verdict.

“The verdict of suicide is unacceptable to the family. The RCI is an inferior tribunal in law and any decision made by an inferior tribunal is reviewable by the High Court,” Karpal said today.

It looks like they are not going to let it go, nor let it rest. No closure yet.

As for Karpal: "inferior"?

Wasn't it Teoh's family that demanded for the RCI?

As for the MACC culprits - action will be taken against them.

Meanwhile, the MACC will be studying the RCI findings.

Here's the story:

KUALA LUMPUR :The Royal Commission of Inquiry, in an unanimous decision, found that Teoh Beng Hock had been driven to commit suicide by “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” interrogation by three MACC officers.

The three named were Selangor MACC Deputy Director Hishamuddin Hashim, and his officers Mohamad Anuar Ismail and Ashraf Mohd Yunus.

The commission said that unlawful intimidatory tactics used "would have had grave consequences upon Teoh's mind and would have been a culminating factor that drove him to suicide.”

In the 124-page report released Thursday the commission said that three MACC officers had probably tried to coerce him into making a statement that it was Selangor state executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah, Teoh's boss, who had “directed him to commit unlawful acts in handling” an allocation.

“This session must have been very taxing on Teoh both physically and mentally.

“He had been deprived of sleep throughout that night and into the morning and had had to endure persistent, aggressive and unscrupulous questioning.

“His physical condition as described by Ashraf when fetching him the glass of water was that Teoh had moved to sit in an upright position very slowly.

“This fourth interrogation session, to our minds, must have been the final straw that broke the camel's back.”

Teoh, 30, the political secretary to Ean, was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, Selangor, after giving a statement at the Selangor MACC office on the 14th floor of the same building.

The setting up of the commission was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last Jan 26 after the Coroner's Court delivered an open verdict: The Star

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Typical Karpal.. anything that is not to their favour: Conspiracy, Bias, Not Independent, Corrupted

Is this the preview of what would happen if PR took over? ALL disputes will result in their favour? Very democratic isn't it?

I think we have wasted enough time & money on TBH case. Karpal & TBH family will not accept anything less than: TBH was murdered by MACC. Then the Opposition can have a field day badmouthing Malaysia to the whole world.

As a Malaysian I feel so sick & tired watching their antics. They think that they are above the law.

I voted for you PR in PRU12... you've lost my vote in PRU13.

I want a visionary leader to lead my country. Not a group of whinners & even after 3 years in power still blame the previous state-Govt for their own shortcomings.

Lee said...

Did Teoh Beng Hock committed suicide?
Only God knows ! The RCI's theory that he did is only a theory, and a theory can be wrong and be very far from the truth!The perception by the general public, like RCI's theory, that he was murdered, cannot be proved too unless the person or persons responsible admitted!Anyway an RCI finding can simply be ignored by the Government as in the Lingam Case!The public perception is more important than the findings of the RCI !

Gopal Raj Kumar said...

There is no definition in the Royal Commission's report as to what constituted 'intense interrogation' in the context of Teoh Beng Hock's case.

What's puzzling is the fact that the investigation for which Teoh was brought in for questioning remains in abeyance.

It is a matter of urgency and great importance to the public that the findings from that investigation into the Selangor opposition led government's financial impropriety be made public immediately in order that one may make sense of the basis for the investigation that led to Teoh's death and bring some semblance of closure to all concerned.

It is more than plausible that Teoh committed suicide. Teoh was outed as a man with a dual private life which made his credibility as a witness suspect and not therefore likely to have warranted anything less than 'intense interrogation'. Not that it warranted or justified such an end to his life.

There is credible evidence of Teoh's duplicitous conduct in his private life. When coupled with his very weak personality and vulnerabilty it may well have provided the trigger for him to seek to either escape via the window slipping to his death or a deliberate intention to take his life resulting in suicide. The latter appears more credible a conclusion. Teoh considered access to the secrets stored in his laptop the last straw. What did it contain? does the RC make note of that?

Karpal and PKR are having seizures from the double whammy of Anwar's tryst with a prostitute and the findings of the Royal Commission at a time the smoke screen to their collective incompetence and stupidity failed to mask their true character. Bersih is what they need to do to make themselves relevant. Teoh is well and truly dead and buried by their actions.

Hang Malaysia said...

The Royal Commission of Inquiry's verdict: Teoh Beng Hock was driven to "commit suicide by “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” interrogation by three MACC officers."

BULLSHIT.
The RCI meant that Teoh was 'indirectly' murdered then.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

lee,
public perception is more important than the findings of the RCI?

then. it's not about wanting to seek the truth.

people form their perception from information the get and the kind of information they get...

you and i know that after teoh's death, politicians from Pakatan Rakyat were exploiting the issue. that was so clear. so obvious.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

hang malaysia,

does it mean that?

Anonymous said...

Berapa kali mau gali itu kubor?

Anonymous said...

The MACC compound had become a preferred location for those who wish to commit suicide. Apart from TBH we also heard abt that former Customs man who went there and committed suicide. At the rate it is going, I predict that hordes of Japanese will flock to Malaysia for harakiri.

Harakanan

Lee said...

Puan Nuraina,

You fail to get my point! Of course the truth is of the utmost importance.RCI's theory is not necessarily the truth and, in fact, can be far from the truth.Similarly, the general public's perception that he was killed, may not be the truth.As the RCI's finding is not enforceable, and the government can simply ignore it ( as in the Lingam case ) or accept it, politically, the public perception is more important (Yes, no ?)That is what I meant.Politics depend a lot on perception.Anwar's sodomy case, is it persecution or prosecution ?Najib's 1Malaysia, is it genuine or mere rhetoric?Altantuya's case, did the bodyguards receive any order or did they act on their own?Both the government and the opposition may be saying a lot of things, and may I add, they are all meant to influence us...our perception of the things they say and do!We see, we hear, we observe,we try to comprehend, to deduce, to get the whole picture, in other words, we perceive!The Bersih 2.0, is the government against free and fair election?Why is the government so paranoid with people wearing yellow.Again, the public has a certain perception !

Anonymous said...

Those MACC officers should be told not to place people on the ledge after "aggressive questioning". It is not good for UMNO's image even if the person is not "pushed" but "jumps". What is wrong with just beating them? We do it all the time in every little balai polis everyday. Nobody dies, right?