Teoh Beng Hock’s parents drag police to court over alleged ‘sluggish probe’ into political aide’s death

KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 — Parents of the late Teoh Beng Hock have filed a lawsuit against the police over their department’s alleged failure to complete its probe into the death of the political aide, over a decade ago.

In their judicial review application, his father Teoh Leong Hwee and mother Teng Shuw Hoi named the police, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director and the government of Malaysia as first, second, third and fourth respondents.

The couple are seeking several declarations, including a mandamus order to compel the police to wrap up their investigation within a month’s time from the date of the judicial review verdict, no decision as to cost and others deemed fit.

“A declaration that the failure of the first respondent, the second respondent and the third respondent to complete the probe into the death of Teoh Beng Hock (the deceased) is a violation of the common law to complete investigations within a reasonable time period.

“A declaration that the failure of the first respondent, the second respondent and the third respondent to complete investigations on the death of Teoh Beng Hock (the deceased) within a reasonable time period violates Section 20(3) of the Police Act 1967 (Act 344).

“A declaration that the failure of the first respondent, the second respondent and the third respondent were negligent in violating their duty of care towards appellants to complete investigation on the deceased within a reasonable time period,” the application read.

The couple are also seeking a declaration that the violation of duty of care by the first respondent to them is contrary to their legitimate expectations, unreasonable, malicious and a form of improper attempt to deny their constitutional rights as stated under Article8 of the Federal Constitution.

In the filing by law firm Karpal Singh and Co, the couple also highlighted that Teoh’s death has been publicly raised in public forums, the Parliament and the Senate, and had also caused a public outcry.

The couple said that though three task forces were formed after the incident, it was evident that the investigations into junior Teoh’s death is incomplete, based on a letter by the second respondent on September 21 last year, which among others, had stated that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had returned the investigation papers to the IGP on September 3 that year.

“The fourth respondent is vicariously liable for any omissions and/or failures of the first, second and third respondents, as stated in paragraphs 11 till 23 here,” the filing read.

Teoh was a former aide to Selangor assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, who fell to death on July 16, 2009 while in the custody of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission at its then state headquarters in Shah Alam where he had been called for questioning as a witness.