Cabinet orders reinvestigation into death of Teoh Beng Hock

KUALA LUMPUR: The cabinet has ordered a re-investigation into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock who died while in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in 2009.
However, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas would need to be consulted first, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng at a press conference held at the DAP's headquarters this evening.
"There is an obvious need to determine the cause of death and to ensure that justice can be done. The cabinet's decision is to endorse for the investigations to be re-opened," said Lim who is also DAP secretary-general.
The case needs to be re-investigated to seek justice for the family, he added.
Teoh a former journalist with Sin Chew Daily, was an aide to Selangor assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah.
He fell to his death from the MACC's office in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009, after he was taken in for questioning for a corruption investigation.
While three MACC officers were directly blamed in the incident, none were ever convicted over Teoh's death.
In 2014, the Court of Appeal dismissed the coroner's open verdict in the inquest over his death and ruled that his death was caused by multiple injuries from a fall from the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam as a result of, or which was accelerated by an unlawful act or acts of persons unknown, inclusive of MACC officers who were involved in his arrest and investigation.
Following this, Putrajaya and the MACC were ordered to pay the family RM600,000 in damages and RM60,000 in costs.
The court also ordered for the police to investigate the death, however, the AG Chambers said there were no criminal elements in his death.
Pakatan Harapan had pledged to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Teoh's death within 100 days after taking over Putrajaya.