File picture of Teoh’s family. They received a perplexing text message last Friday.
Gobind (right), Teoh’s parents and today’s witness Woo Chuan Sing (in black), Teoh Meng Kee (blue) and Tan Boon Wah (white) arriving at the Shah Alam court.
The Attorney General (AG) appears to be closing doors today in an attempt to bring a quick end to the high-profile inquest of a DAP political aide, Teoh Beng Hock, which started three months ago.
A private lawyer hired to act on behalf of the AG raised more than eyebrows today when he tried to limit the witnesses which lawyers representing Teoh’s family and the state government want to bring in.
Former deputy public prosecutor, Tan Hock Chuan who is assisting the coroner’s court, had argued that there was no need to call senior graft busters, Hishamuddin Hashim and Hairul Ilham Hamzah, into the witness box, despite testimonies from the MACC rank-and-file that they had got their instructions from the two.
Gobind Singh Deo and Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, lawyers for the Teoh family and Selangor respectively, were outraged at what they claimed was a gross injustice preventing them from finding out what had really happened to Teoh.
Malik stressed that both Hishamuddin and Hairul Ilham were the most senior MACC officers involved throughout the investigation and would be the best men to shed light on several puzzles, especially as their junior officers had clearly said they got orders from the duo.
The argument went back and forth, with voices getting progressively louder.
The magistrate finally said he would decide on the matter when the inquest resumes tomorrow morning.
Mystery DNA man in Teoh belt.
Tan had earlier told the court that the mystery of the unknown male DNA found on Teoh’s coat and belt had been solved.
Government DNA expert, Dr Seah Lay Hong, will be recalled to the witness box to reveal the identity of the mystery man.
Teoh family asked to go for ‘mental test’
In another twist to the ongoing drama surrounding Teoh Beng Hock's mysterious death, the young political aide's family and friends recently received a perplexing text message asking them to go for a psychiatric evaluation at a government-run hospital in Selayang this morning.Speaking on behalf of the family, Teoh's younger sister, Lee Lan, 28, told The Malaysian Insider that her father, Leong Hwee, and would-be sister-in-law, Soh Cher Wei, both received a similar text message last Friday afternoon.
The family members and friends decided against going to the hospital after being advised by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo, who is acting for the Teoh family.But he stressed that it is rightfully the magistrate who is acting as coroner in the inquest who must decide on the need at this late stage in the inquest.
“The prosecution must be very careful,” he warned.
He pointed out that two pathologists had already given evidence in the coroner's court and concluded that Teoh had committed suicide even though they admitted they did not question Teoh's family to find out the deceased's state of mind.
“Is the prosecution saying they will recall witnesses and change their stand?” Gobind challenged.
Teoh family and employer claim foul play and not suicide.
“He’s a very loving and helpful person,” Teoh’s elder brother, Meng Kee, 33, told the coroner’s court today when he stepped into the witness box.And when lawyer Gobind asked him point-blank if he knew of any reason that would push his baby brother to suicide, Meng Kee said: “No, sir!”.Two pathologists who carried out the autopsy on Teoh had previously said that the signs point to suicide.
MACC lawyer, Datuk Abdul Razak Musa, who crossed-examined Meng Kee after Gobind, hinted that Teoh,who was pressed to hold a shotgun wedding because his girlfriend was two months pregnant then, may have faced money woes.
He suggested that traditional Chinese weddings were costly affairs running into the tens of thousands, and Teoh could have hardly afforded it on his political secretary pay of only RM1,800 a month.
But Meng Kee disagreed. He said his brother had savings and that Chinese weddings could cost under RM20,000. He added that the siblings would also help Teoh out financially.
Teoh’s friend, Woo Chuan Sing, who had been invited to be the best man at the wedding planned for Oct 3 that will now never be, told the court that he was unaware that his best friend had faced any recent problems.
He had last spoken to Teoh over the phone on the morning of July 15.
Lawyer Malik has been struggling for the past month to bring in a Thai forensic pathologist to support their theory of possible homicide in Teoh’s inquest. He finally succeeded today.
Magistrate Azmil fixed Oct 20 and 21 to hear Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand’s testimony.--------------------------------------
More than 2,000 people gathered for the funeral of Teoh Beng Hock in Alor Gajah, Malacca. During the funeral rites, which began at 9.45am, Teoh's pregnant fiancee Soh Sher Wei read out a moving tribute.
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Lim Guan Eng spoke about MACC, Police and the controversial death of Teoh Beng Hock, who was a special assistant to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.
Teoh's body was found on Thursday sprawled on the roof of an adjacent building after he had undergone questioning late into the night at the offices of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
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More than 3,000 people have packed the Kelana Jaya stadium in a two-hour gathering to mark the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock. Pakatan Rakyat top brass, including Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, took turns to address the crowd.
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