JOHOR BARU: Teoh Beng Hock’s sister, Teoh Lee Lan, is making an appearance at events organised by Muda, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and Bersama in the Johor state election, to attract support for the three parties.
She attended a fundraising dinner for Muda at Taman Desa Tebrau on Friday (June 3) night and would make an appearance at PSM and Bersama events around here later on Saturday.
Lee Lan said that Muda, PSM and Bersama had pledged their support to her family in finding justice for Beng Hock, who died while under Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) custody back in 2009.
“Please vote for candidates who support our family’s call for justice. We want to know who killed Beng Hock, what really happened and who should be held accountable,” she said in a press conference held here on Saturday (July 4).
Acknowledging that Beng Hock’s case was not directly related to the Johor state election, Lee Lan said the issue went beyond politics and touched on public safety, justice and accountability.
“People may ask what my late brother’s case has to do with the Johor election. My answer is that this concerns the safety of every Malaysian.
“If this could happen in Selangor, it could happen in Johor too. We cannot allow this to become the norm,” she said, urging Johoreans to cast their ballots on July 11 for candidates who would stand up for justice.
Meanwhile, Lee Lan has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to fulfil his promise some two years ago to the family by ensuring a proper murder investigation is carried out into her brother’s death.
Lee Lan said that in two weeks' time, it would be exactly two years since her family met with Anwar, where they are still waiting for answers after meeting him.
She questioned the government’s commitment to securing justice, urging Anwar to explain what had become of the assurance he gave the family.
“The Prime Minister promised my parents and me that he would ensure the investigation was conducted under the correct section of the law. Where is that promise? Where is the justice for Beng Hock?”
Lee Lan added that many Malaysians were unaware that the Court of Appeal had ruled on Sept 5, 2014, that her brother did not commit suicide and that “one or more persons, including MACC officers” were responsible for his death.
“The Court of Appeal had already decided that this was not a case of suicide or an open verdict.
“It ruled that Beng Hock was killed and called for investigations under Sections 302 and 304 of the Penal Code to identify those responsible,” she said.
She claimed that despite the landmark ruling, police had never investigated the case under Section 302 for murder.
Lee Lan said the family had filed a judicial review to compel the police to comply with the Court of Appeal’s ruling by investigating the case under the appropriate provisions of the Penal Code, rejecting police arguments that the case was too old.
“Seventeen years is not an excuse. There are legal precedents involving even older cases. We hope the government will stop delaying this matter and finally give our family the answers we have been waiting for,” she said.
Meanwhile, the family’s lawyer Steve Chew said that the first hearing for the judicial review was on July 23 at Kuala Lumpur Court.
