Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 3^rd January 2010: 

MACC police report against Dr. Pornthip – double test case for Selangor CPO Khalid and new MACC Chief Commissioner Abu Kassim

Last week, Selangor Chief Police Officer Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar announced a second police report lodged by the police over the mysterious death of DAP political aide, Teoh Beng Hock at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16 last year.

Khalid said the police would be hauling up the Selangor DAP State Chairman and Selangor State Exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah under Section 506 of the Penal Code and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for allegedly intimidating the police in “directing” the police to cease their investigation of Penang Chief Minister and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng for sedition.

Will Khalid direct the Selangor police to lodge a police report against himself, for Khalid had been guilty of the offence of publishing “false news” under the Printing Presses and Publications Act as Hian Wah never “directed” but merely urged the police to stop their baseless investigation of Guan Eng.

Three days earlier, the Selangor police had lodged police report against Guan Eng for his speech at the Pakatan Rakyat national convention on December 19 for expressing national sentiments that the mysterious death of Teoh Beng Hock was a case of murder.

On New Year’s Day, the MACC lodged two police reports over the Teoh Beng Hock case – one by MACC officer Hisham Mohd Yusoff against Suara Keadilan and the other by MACC officer Raub Ghani against Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand for “leaking” information to unauthorised people on the forensic report of the second post-mortem on Teoh on Nov. 22.

In his police report, Raub said: “This report is made because every action of Dr. Pornthip was contrary to court’s decision and would further undermine MACC’s image”.

What Raub did not realise is that it is short-sighted and malicious actions like the MACC report against Dr. Pornthip which are responsible for plunging public confidence in the efficiency, independence and professionalism to a lower depth – especially as Dr. Pornthip has denied being responsible for any “leak” of information in an interview with Sin Chew Daily.

The question Malaysians want to know is whether the Selangor CPO Khalid will lodge or direct the Selangor police to lodge police report against MACC for trying to intimidate Thai pathologist Dr. Pornthip over her inquest testimony in October of 80 per cent probability that Teoh Beng Hock’s death was homicide and not suicide!

The MACC police report against Dr. Pornthip has in fact become double test case for Selangor CPO Khalid and the new MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed.

Abu Kassim Mohamed cannot take the report by his MACC officer Raub against Dr. Pornthip lightly and pass the buck to the police, claiming, “If they have lodged police reports, let the police conduct their investigation”.

This is in fact Abu Kassim’s first critical test as the new MACC Chief – whether he approves of the police report lodged by MACC officer Raub against Dr. Pornthip with all the implications and consequences including the MACC endorsing or condoning the MACC being used to intimidate Dr. Pornthip from giving truthful testimony at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest.

As the new MACC chief, Abu Kassim cannot wash his hands and disclaim responsibility for a police report lodged by a MACC officer which further undermines public confidence in the MACC.

Either Abu Kassim assumes full responsibility for the MACC police report against Portnthip or he should direct the MACC police report to be withdrawn by Raub if it does not have sanction and authorization of the MACC and the MACC does not want to start off under him with a new scandal of the MACC maliciously trying to intimidate Dr. Pornthip from truthfully giving her expert testimony on the cause of Teoh Beng Hock’s death at the inquest.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor