KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — The High Court today upheld its decision ordering the government to share a classified report on Pastor Raymond Koh’s disappearance with his family.
Justice Su Tiang Joo said the government had failed to justify why the task force report could not be released to Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, online news outlet Free Malaysia Today reported.
“Until and unless the court order is set aside, it must be obeyed,” Su was reported as saying today, adding that the application had no merit.
The government was also ordered by the court to pay Liew RM3,000 in costs.
Earlier today, it was reported that senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid, representing the police and the government, stated that the report could not be released before September 13 due to the need to adhere to governmental procedures.
Lawyer Jerald Gomez, representing Liew, stated that his client agreed to postpone contempt proceedings until September 13 after Nurul Farhana Khalid informed the court that the government had committed to providing the report before that date.
On August 15, Judge Su granted Liew’s request for the document, citing its relevance to her ongoing lawsuit against the government and the police regarding Koh’s disappearance.
He ordered the government to produce the report within three days of the ruling.
In his decision last week, Su noted that the government had not provided sufficient justification for classifying the report as a government secret.
Liew had requested access to the classified report, arguing that Koh’s family deserved to know the task force’s findings regarding his disappearance.
Liew filed the present lawsuit four years ago against the police, former inspector-generals of police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun as well as several high-ranking former police officers including former principal assistant director of the Special Branch’s social extremism division Awaludin Jadid.
Liew is seeking to hold the authorities accountable for Koh’s unlawful abduction on February 13, 2017, and for misconduct in public office. She is also pursuing damages related to his disappearance.
