M’sia PM Anwar assures transparent fresh probe into Teoh Beng Hock’s death

PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA:  Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim assured that the investigation into the death of former political assistant Teoh Beng Hock, who died 15 years ago, will be conducted transparently and independently, without any external interference.

On Thursday (1 August) around 3 pm, the family of the late Teoh, including his parents, sister Lee Lan, and son Eer Jia, accompanied by their lawyer Ramkarpal Singh, attended a closed-door session with the Prime Minister to discuss what they considered a long delay in the pursuit of justice for Beng Hock.

After the meeting, Lee Lan stated that Anwar agreed to review the case details and discuss the matter with Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain.

She also proposed that international crime experts be brought in to assist with the investigation.

“The case has been investigated for 15 years and remains unresolved,” she told reporters after the meeting at Perdana Putra, the office complex of the Prime Minister.

The family’s lawyer, Ramkarpal Singh, noted that he and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo were also present at the meeting.

“Any follow-ups will be communicated to Beng Hock’s family through me as their lawyer,” Ramkarpal said.

In a subsequent Facebook post, Anwar stated: “The government agrees for the police to reopen the investigation into the death of Teoh Beng Hock.”

He assured that the investigation will be conducted transparently and fairly, without interference from any party, and will especially take into account the views of the Court of Appeal from September 5, 2014.

“I listened to all their grievances and several requests from the family. I have been closely following this case for a long time and understand the sadness and suffering of the family who have been fighting for justice for the late Teoh.”

Last month, Lee Lan blocked from entering Parliament in push for justice for Teoh Beng Hock

Last month, the civil society group Advocate for Justice for Beng Hock organized a three-day “March for Justice” to seek justice and accountability for Beng Hock’s death.

On 15 July, their attempt to submit a memorandum to Members of Parliament was met with a heavy police blockade outside the Parliament building entrance.

Live video on the group’s Facebook page showed tensions escalating as police stopped Lee Lan from advancing toward Parliament’s main gate while she was holding a portrait of her brother.

Teoh, expressing dissatisfaction with being blocked by the police, fell to the ground and questioned, “Why was this allowed during former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s time but not now?”

The incident drew criticism from civil society groups, who condemned the police actions.

The tragic saga of Teoh Beng Hock

Teoh Beng Hock served as the political secretary to former Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah from The Democratic Action Party (DAP).

On July 15, 2009, officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of Selangor took Teoh into custody to investigate the alleged misuse of constituency funds by Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state assembly members.

The following afternoon, he was found dead on the fifth-floor balcony of the Selangor MACC headquarters, a discovery that shocked the nation.

After an 18-month inquest, on January 5, 2010, the coroner’s court returned an open verdict, ruling that Teoh Beng Hock’s death was neither suicide nor homicide.

In June 2011, the Royal Commission of Inquiry released a 124-page report concluding that Teoh was driven to suicide following aggressive interrogation by MACC officers.

In September 2014, however, the Court of Appeal ruled that Teoh’s death was caused by multiple injuries from a fall, accelerated by “an unlawful act or acts of a person or persons unknown,” including MACC officers involved in the case.

In May 2015, the government agreed to pay Teoh’s family RM600,000 to settle a civil suit initiated in 2012 for negligence resulting in his death.

In January 2022, Teoh’s parents filed for a judicial review to compel the police to complete investigations into his 2009 death.

The High Court has set October 29 to deliver its ruling on a judicial review application brought by the family against the police over Beng Hock’s death in 2009.