KUALA LUMPUR: A former Selangor assemblyman expressed disappointment that the reopened investigations on the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock has been classified as a case of wrongful confinement.
Former Kota Alam Shah assembly and lawyer Manoharan Malayalam today said the Court of Appeals had found the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers investigating Teoh being responsible for his death.
“Why is case the being investigated under Section 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Penal Code, why not Section 302 for murder?” asked Manoharan, who was Teoh’s lawyer when he was detained by the MACC in 2009.
“Under Section 342, the penalty is up to a year of imprisonment and a fine of RM2,000 or both. If the probe is completed and they intend to charge anyone, the perpetrators will get away with a slap on their wrists under this provision of the law.”
Manoharan said he was summoned by police on Oct 25 to have his statement recorded following the fresh probe on the case.
Sepang assemblyman Ronnie Liu said top brass in police had told the DAP that the current classification of wrongful confinement was simply a stepping stone to initiate the probe and investigators might decide to reclassify the case.
“We hope the police will reclassify. We at the DAP will not give up or rest until justice is served over the death of Teoh,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Selangor police chief Commissioner Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin said the classification of a case is not necessarily permanent.
“If we find there are evidence that point towards other crimes or offences then we will reclassify the case accordingly. We assure the public that investigations will be thorough and transparent,“ he said.
