The Star online
Thursday May 19, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has written to the Shah Alam High Court seeking to defer the hearing date of his revision application over the open verdict delivered by the Coroner’s Court following its inquest into the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock.

The Shah Alam High Court is scheduled to hear the revision application on May 23.

The A-G wants Justice Datuk Wira Mohtarudin Baki, who will be hearing the application, to defer hearing date until the Commission of Inquiry investigating Teoh’s death makes its conclusions.

The commission had announced that a report of its findings will be handed over to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on June 24.

A copy of the letter by the A-G to the Shah Alam High Court was faxed to lawyer Karpal Singh, who is acting for Teoh’s family, late Thursday afternoon.

Karpal said he had written to the judge Thursday objecting to the A-G’s request and wanted the date to be retained.

“Let the judge hear the A-G’s application in open court on May 23 and and we (the legal team for Teoh’s family) will give our reasons why we are objecting to it,” said Karpal.

The commission initially had concluded its hearing on May 10 but reopened it Wednesday to allow counsel representing Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah’s request for a note written by Teoh prior to his death to be re-examined by the Chemistry Department.

On Jan 5, the A-G filed the revision application after Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas the same day delivered an open verdict and ruled that the death of Teoh in 2009 was neither a suicide nor homicide.

Teoh, 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 Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the 14th floor of the same building. – Bernama