Nazri escapes contempt motion
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
The coroner’s court today rejected a motion to cite Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for contempt, for allegedly calling an expert witness in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest “a liar”.
Coroner Azmil Muntapa Abas, in making the decision, said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was merely expressing a personal view on the matter.
“[The] remark made by Nazri is his own opinion,” said Azmil. “There is no clear evidence to show that the remark made by Nazri was intended to interfere with inquest proceedings.”
Nazri had previously been reported to have called Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand “a liar,” after the latter had failed to attend the resumption of the inquest and reportedly cited political pressure as a reason.
The alleged remark moved Teoh’s sibling, Meng Kee, to file for Nazri to be cited for contempt.
Azmil said that while the law minister’s remark about Dr Pornthip was “not acceptable,” he nevertheless had a right to his own opinion. Azmil also compared Nazri’s statement to one made by lawyer Karpal Singh, who had called Nazri a “rabid minister.”
“[The] application is therefore rejected,” said Azmil.
