Written Submissions On Teoh's Death Will Not Be Made Public Before June 24

KUALA LUMPUR -- The written submissions by the three parties assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock's death will only be made public after a report on the outcome of the investigation has been presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong next month.

Commission secretary, Saripuddin Kasim, said this had been unanimously agreed to by the Bar Council, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the conducting officers -Amerjeet Singh, Kwan Li Sa and Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud at a meeting with the commission here today.

He said the Bar Council, represented by lawyer Christopher Leong, and the conducting officers submitted their submissions on May 25, while the MACC, represented by lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, on May 27.

Whether the report on the outcome of the investigation would be made public or not would only be decided by the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, he added.

Saripuddin said members of the commission, which is chaired by Federal Court judge James Foong Cheng Yuen, were now in the process of studying the various documents.

The inquiry into Teoh's death began on Feb 14 this year and ended last May 10. A total of 70 witnesses were called.

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

The members of the commission are former Federal Court judge Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, former Court of Appeal judge T.S.Nathan, a forensic pathologist consultant at Penang Hospital Dr Bhupinder Singh and Dean of the Medical Faculty, Cyberjaya University College of Medical Science Professor Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom.

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

The commission would submit the findings of its investigation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on June 24.

(Bernama)