KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has ordered that the over RM31mil in damages awarded to Pastor Raymond Koh be placed in a trust under Amanah Raya Berhad.
Lawyer Datuk Jerald Gomez, representing Koh’s wife Susanna Liew Sow Yoke, said Justice Su Tiang Joo issued the order following an agreement with senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid, who represented the government and the police.
“Amanah Raya Berhad is appointed to hold the money and any interest as trustee for the first plaintiff (Koh) until his whereabouts can be identified or revealed,” he told reporters after the proceedings, Bernama reported.
Jerald said the trustee was chosen due to its low management fees and its guarantee to return the money if the ruling is appealed.
The move complies with Justice Su’s Nov 5 order to deposit the funds into a trustee account until Koh’s whereabouts are confirmed or disclosed.
The sum includes general damages of RM10,000 per day from Feb 13, 2017, until Koh’s whereabouts are known, RM1mil in damages and RM1mil in exemplary damages.
In an application on Nov 28, Liew had requested that her law firm, Messrs Jerald Gomez & Associates, be appointed as the trustee.
She also proposed PB Trustee Services Berhad and Amanah Raya Berhad as alternatives should the court decline to appoint the firm.
Liew filed the suit against the police and the government over her husband’s disappearance and the authorities’ handling of the investigation.
Koh was reported to have been abducted by a group of masked men while driving in Kelana Jaya on Feb 13, 2017.
