22-11-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia’s High Court has imposed a six-month deadline on police to conclude their investigation into the controversial death of Teoh Beng Hock, a case that has remained unresolved for over 15 years.
Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, now serving on the Court of Appeal, granted a mandamus order following a judicial review application by Teoh’s elderly parents, Teoh Leong Hwee, 76, and Teng Shuw Hoi, 71. The judge criticised the prolonged nature of the investigation, noting it failed to meet the “convenient speed” requirement under Section 120(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
“The interest of justice demands finality in this matter,” Justice Wan Ahmad Farid declared. “The deceased’s parents, like any Malaysian citizen, deserve closure.”
The case centres on Teoh, a former journalist who later worked as an aide to then-Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah. His body was discovered on July 16, 2009, on Plaza Masalam’s fifth floor in Shah Alam, following his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, located nine floors above.
The case has seen multiple legal developments, including a 2011 Coroner’s Court ruling that found neither suicide nor murder, and a Royal Commission of Inquiry verdict of suicide. However, in 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned these findings, determining that Teoh’s death resulted from “unlawful act by person or persons unknown.”
The recent judicial review, filed in January 2022, named the Inspector-General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department director, police force, and government as respondents. The parents sought to challenge the authorities’ failure to complete investigations within a reasonable timeframe, citing violations of the Police Act 1967.
