Judge recuses self from hearing judicial review application in Teoh Beng Hock case

PETALING JAYA: High Court Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh has recused himself from hearing the application of the judicial review filed by the parents of Teoh Beng Hock.

During case management on Tuesday (June 6), Amarjeet said he was withdrawing himself as he was previously involved in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the death of Beng Hock.

Meanwhile, Senior Federal Counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly said the case involving the deceased's parents was to get a court order for the police to fully investigate their son's death 14 years ago.

"The court later fixed July 10 as the next case management date before Judge Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh," Sinar Harian quoted Ahmad Hanir as saying on Tuesday (June 6).

Also present at the proceedings were lawyers Sangeet Kaur and Simranjit Kaur representing Beng Hock's parents.

On Jan 4, 2022, Teoh Leong Hwee, 75, and his wife , Teng Shuw Hoi, 70, filed an application for a judicial review, naming the Inspector-General of Police, Crime Investigation Department director and the Malaysian government as the first to fourth respondents.

On June 16 the same year, the couple received permission from the court to seek a judicial review.

The couple applied for a declaration that the failure of the first, second and third respondents to complete the investigations on the death of their son during the given time contravenes Section 20(3) of the Police Act 1967.

Beng Hock was found dead on July 16, 2009 ,on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam after giving his statement at the 14th floor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office at the same building.

On Jan 5, 2011, the Shah Alam Coroners Court found that Beng Hock's death was not a suicide nor murder and there were no third parties involved in his death.

On July 21, the same year the RCI investigating Beng Hock's death said it was a suicide.

On Sept 5, 2014, the Appeals Court reversed the earlier decision of an open verdict and said Beng Hock's death was due to illegal actions against the law by one or more unidentified individuals.