KUALA LUMPUR: The inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s death was told yesterday there was additional information in the interrogation of the former political secretary to a Selangor executive councillor in the investigation diary of the Selangor branch of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Mohd Anuar Ismail, an investigation officer from the MACC, told the inquiry that the additional information in his investigation diary was to state matters clearly and was not aimed at creating conflicting information.
“I only added items that I felt were important in the diary such as the time (of an event), place, and prevailing situation for the purpose of investigation which can be referred to by my officers,” he said.
When questioned by lawyer S Sivaneindiren, from the Bar Council, whether the additional information were included after or before the inquest, that is, prior to his transfer to the Transformation Unit, Mohd Anuar said they were included after the inquest.
Mohd Anuar, who was assigned to the Transformation Unit, Putrajaya since early 2010, explained that the important additional information was not too much and was not aimed at confusing anyone.
When questioned by the Chairman of the Inquiry Commission, Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen, whether Mohd Anuar had a good memory, the witness replied: “Only at times.”
Mohd Anuar, the inquiry’s 23rd witness, said if there were any item that he had forgotten, additional information would be recorded after the diary had been completed, that is, one or two months after Teoh’s death.
Meanwhile, when asked by lawyer Edmund Bon, from the Bar Council, whether Mohd Anuar knew that the investigation papers given did not have the investigation diaries of the MACC investigation officers including himself, the witness said he could not explain it because the investigation had been taken over by someone else.
The witness also agreed that Teoh was the most important witness for MACC in the interrogation on the abuse of claims by the Seri Kembangan state assemblyman, Ean Yong Hian Wah, who is also a Selangor State Executive Councillor.
Meanwhile, the counsel representing MACC, Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, protested the manner the witness was being questioned by representatives from the Bar Council.
He said the witness should have been given time to reply the questions instead of being pressured to the extent that he did not have time to give an explanation.
Muhammad Shafee said that the witness should also be questioned fairly and that the Commission panel should be sensitive in such a situation.
Foong said he had allowed the witness, Mohd Anuar, to be questioned by Bon because he was an important witness but added that the Commission would pay attention to the request by Muhammad Shafee.
Earlier, Bon had relentlessly questioned the witness and raised a question as tough blaming Mohd Anuar after Teoh’s death.
During the proceedings, Mohd Anuar said that on July 16, 2009, all officers involved in the investigation into the abuse of allocation by the Selangor assemblyman reported to MACC Acting Assistant Commissioner Hairul Ilham Hamzah.
Following Hairul Ilham’s absence (Hairul Ilham went home at 3am), Mohd Anuar said there was no one making any report to him on the outcome of the investigation and he was not aware that his boss had gone home.
However, Mohd Anuar conceded that in the absence of Hairul Ilham, he was responsible for the investigation and for his subordinates.
On Hairul Ilham’s action in returning home without informing him, Mohd Anuar said he did not want to
blame anybody and left it to the Commission panel to decide.
Mohd Anuar said he was also responsible on that night because of his position as an investigating officer.
Bon had also asked whether Mohd Anuar was trying to cover up by controlling the situation because he had known then that the police report merely stated Teoh’s death as ‘sudden death’, but Mohd Anuar replied: “Not true”.
Mohd Anuar also refuted Bon’s assumption that he had walked about in the office that night to create an alibi for himself and rejected Bon’s suggestion that he had returned home to meet his wife because he feared that he would be detained and accused of being involved in Teoh’s death.
Meanwhile, Foong reprimanded Bon for suggesting that Mohd Anuar had returned home
because he did not know that the MACC was trying to protect him, saying that Bon’s statement was not supported by facts and that Bon should realise that the MACC had given full cooperation to the Commission of Inquiry.
Besides Foong, other members of the panel are former Federal Court judge Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, Forensic Psychiatry consultant Prof Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom, and Forensic Pathology consultant, Department of Forensic Medicine, Penang Hospital, Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh.
The formation of the Commission, which was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Jan 26, among other things aimed to determine the cause of Teoh’s death after the Coroner’s Court decided on an open verdict.
Teoh, 30, political secretary to Selangor Executive Councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam on July 16, 2009 after giving a statement at the MACC office on the 14th floor of the building.
At the proceedings, Foong also disclosed that Thai Consultant Pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand would give her testimony on April 2 and 3.
Pornthip was initially scheduled to testify on March 16 and 17 but had amended the dates.
The proceedings will resume today. — Bernama