Ean Yong sheds more light on Beng Hock’s death
By Wong Choon Mei (Suara Keadilan)
Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah has shed further light on the suspicious death of his personal aide Teoh Beng Hock, rubbishing any talk that the 30-year former journalist had jumped.
Ean told reporters there was no reason for Beng Hock to do so as he had been called in for questioning as a witness and not as a suspect, a fact that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has confirmed.
Secondly, Beng was due to register his marriage on Friday.
Said Ean: “He was going to get married, why would he want to commit suicide. He looked calm. Before he went to the MACC office, Manoharan and myself talked to him about how to answer the questions.
“If there was any problems, I should be the one to face action. I don’t see any reason for him to commit suicide. Furthermore, there was no reason for him to linger (after the interrogation) because his car was here.”
Beng Hock drove there, why didn’t he leave and why was he questioned for so long
According to Ean, Beng Hock had agreed to follow an MACC officer to the headquarters by driving his own car on Wednesday afternoon.
When he didn’t return after several hours, Ean went to the MACC office at 12 midnight.
“I asked the officer if Teoh can come back tomorrow morning but the officer said it was against procedure because the investigation must be completed within 24 hours,” Ean said.
Ean then left the MACC at 1.30am on Thursday, rushing back at 5pm when news broke that Beng Hock had died.
He was made to wait for an hour and a half before MACC deputy commissioner Abu Kassim told him that Teoh was dead, having apparently fallen to his death at 1pm on the 5th floor of the adjacent building. The MACC office is located on the 14th floor and Beng Hock was found in the same clothes he had worn the day before.
Abu Kassim told him Beng Hock was released at 3.45am and was free to go but an eyewitness saw him still in the MACC office at 6am.
MACC held responsible
Investigation division director Shukri Abdull later told a press conference that Beng Hock was merely a witness to the investigation and that after the interrogation ended, he said he was tired and asked to rest on a settee in the MACC office.
“The man was asked to come to Selangor MACC last night at 5pm for his statement to be recorded and this procedure was completed at 3.45am. At 3.45am, he was allowed to leave, he promised to come today to bring some documents to assist in the investigations,” Shukri said.
“At 6am, he was still seen to be sleeping at the couch but we didn’t see him until 1.30pm today when the body was found.”
Selangor Menteri Besar has confirmed that a janitor found Beng Hock’s body at 1.30pm and the police have begun questioning a few officers from the MACC.
He has promised the state government will appoint an independent pathologist to help police investigate the case. Meanwhile, the Selangor police chief has classified the case a sudden death pending the results of a post-mortem.
“At this point, we are holding MACC responsible until we get a better explanation,” said Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah.
