AGC will charge those linked to Beng Hock's death if there is 'circumstantial evidence'

The Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) today said those who caused the death of Teoh Beng Hock will be prosecuted if police investigation provides circumstantial evidence that is strong enough to warrant it.

“Now that the police have formed a special team to further investigate this matter, the AGC will decide once the investigation is completed and that if the circumstantial evidence is strong enough to warrant a prosecution, a prosecution will be held,” the AGC said in a press statement today.

“However the AGC would like to stress that suspicion, no matter how strong, will never bring about any prosecution in any case,” the AGC added.

The AGC explained that the perpetrators, if any, would have been charged if the Public Prosecutor was convinced and satisfied with the evidence gathered by the police investigation at that material time.

“However, the police having conducted a thorough investigation concluded that no one was criminally-liable based on legally admissible evidence available.

“Hence the Public Prosecutor directed that the inquiry into his death to be conducted,” it said.

Last Friday, the Court of Appeal set aside the coroner's open verdict in Teoh’s inquest.

The three-man panel held that Teoh's 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 Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers who were involved in his arrest and investigation.

The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal by Teoh's brother, Teoh Meng Kee against the decision of the Shah Alam High Court which had on Dec 1, 2011 dismissed their application for a revision into Teoh's inquest and upheld a coroner's open verdict.

Meanwhile, Teoh’s sister, Teoh Lee Lan, who insisted the police and AGC to reopen the case following the Court of Appeal’s verdicts, reportedly had said that ‘the decision was just the beginning of the family’s long fight for the “truth” behind her brother’s mysterious fall to death.

Teoh, the political secretary to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16, 2009, on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam after he had given a statement at the office of the Selangor branch of the commission on the 14th floor of the building.