Exco denies Teoh committed suicide to protect him

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KUALA LUMPUR: Seri  Kembangan assemblyman  Ean Yong Hian Wah  yesterday denied the  possibility of his political  aide, Teoh Beng Hock,  committing suicide to  protect him and DAP.

He also disagreed with  lawyer Datuk Seri  Muhammed Shafee  Abdullah, who represented  the Malaysian Anti-  Corruption Commission  (MACC), that Teoh acted  such because he felt  pressured with the  knowledge that Yong was  involved in the abuse of  Selangor state funds.

Yong told this to the  Commission of Inquiry in  Teoh’s death when  Muhammed Shafee claimed  that Teoh took his own life  to protect his employer and  DAP.

Teoh, 30, was found dead  on the fifth floor corridor of  Plaza Masalam in Shah  Alam on July 16, 2009, after  being questioned overnight  at the Selangor MACC office  on the 14th floor.

Meanwhile, Yong said he  picked a Class F contractor  which was introduced by  Hong Chye Enterprise to  carry out repair works of  drains, roads and buildings.

“I was not surprised to find  out that the Hong Chye  company was using the  licence of the Class F  contractor to do the work  because the Class F  contractor was only the  licence holder,” he added.

He also said that the  “Support, Sympathy and  Solidarity” function  organised for Selangor  executive councillor Teresa  Kok was part of the People  Friendly project.

Yong, who claimed to have  known Teoh since 2006,  described his political aide  as hardworking, dedicated  and responsible in  discharging his duties.

Asked by conducting  officer, Awang Armadajaya  Awang Mahmud, whether  Yong trusted Teoh, Yong  said, he did because Teoh  was his right hand man.  “If I cannot attend a media  conference for some  reasons, I will ask Teoh to  represent me,” he added.

Yong also told the  commission that he knew  Teoh was going to marry  Soh Cher Wei, but did not  know about Teoh wanting  to quit his job and move to  Melaka.

The commission, chaired  by Federal Court judge Tan  Sri James Foong Cheng  Yuen, was set up on Jan 25  this year following Prime  Minister Datuk Seri Najib  Tun Razak’s order after the  Coroner’s Court returned an  open verdict on the case.

The members of the  commission are Federal  Court judge Datuk Abdul  Kadir Sulaiman, former  Court of Appeal judge Datuk  T S Nathan, Penang  Hospital’s forensic  pathologist Datuk Dr  Bhupinder Singh and the  Dean of Cyberjaya Medical  Science College University  Professor Dr Mohamed  Hatta Shaharom.

The proceeding  continues on Monday. —  Bernama