‘Perplexing’ and ‘uncomfortable’ narrative surrounds Pastor Koh, activist Amri’s disappearances: untraced owner of gold Toyota Vios seen as key link

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the disappearances of social activist Amri Che Mat and Pastor Raymond Koh have revealed critical insights into their cases, as highlighted by Datuk Abdul Rahim Uda, the former chair of the special task force set up by the Home Ministry.

Testifying in the Kuala Lumpur High Court, Abdul Rahim emphasised that the untraced owner of a gold-coloured Toyota Vios plays a pivotal role in connecting the two mysterious disappearances, according to a report published in Malaysiakini today.

Abdul Rahim stated that the elements of both cases, when examined collectively, present a “perplexing” and “uncomfortable” narrative.

He reiterated that the task force’s classified report suggested that rogue police officers may have been involved in the incidents but called for the police and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) to delve deeper into the investigations.

During the hearing of Koh’s family lawsuit against the police and the federal government, Abdul Rahim identified the Toyota Vios, with registration number PFC 1623, as having been seen in Kangar, Perlis, before Amri’s disappearance on November 24, 2016, and in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, shortly before Koh was abducted on February 13, 2017.

Notably, the vehicle’s owner, Saiful Bahari Abd Aziz, had worked as a contract employee for the quarters of Bukit Aman’s Special Branch officers from 2006 to 2018, yet authorities have failed to produce him for questioning, noted Abdul Rahim.

Abdul Rahim also pointed to other significant connections, including a meeting between former Special Branch assistant director Datuk Awaluddin Jadid and several police officers, along with Perlis mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, prior to Amri’s disappearance.

Furthermore, he mentioned the meeting between Special Branch officer Shamzaini Daud and Norhayati Ariffin, Amri’s wife.

In response to questions from Koh’s family counsel, Steven Thiru, Rahim acknowledged that the “scheme of things” suggested possible planning, execution, and subsequent cover-up regarding the disappearances.

“All these things point to very uncomfortable findings which we (the task force) feel the authorities need to look into,” Abdul Rahim stated in court.

While the task force did not uncover direct evidence linking the enforced disappearances of Amri and Koh to government involvement, Abdul Rahim asserted that the circumstantial evidence warrants further investigation.

The trial is set to resume on January 7 next year.

Koh’s family is pursuing legal action to compel the police and government to disclose the whereabouts of the 68-year-old pastor.

In 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) concluded that both Amri and Koh were victims of enforced disappearance, implicating members of the Special Branch from Bukit Aman.

Amri was last seen leaving his home in Kangar, Perlis, while CCTV footage captured Koh’s abduction in broad daylight as he made his way to a friend’s house in Petaling Jaya.

Following Suhakam’s findings, Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, 67, filed a civil suit against the police and the government.

Meanwhile, Amri’s wife, Norhayati, 51, has initiated a separate lawsuit aimed at compelling authorities to reveal her husband’s fate, drawing on the same special task force report related to her husband’s disappearance when he was 43 years old.