Signature, handwriting on ‘note’ not Beng Hock’s, says his family
Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle
In a dramatic turn of events, the family of Teoh Beng Hock has disputed the handwriting on the note that Attorney-General Gani Patail claims was a “suicide” note, saying it was obvious the signature and the writing was not Beng Hock’s.
“The family pointed out to me multiple discrepancies in the handwriting in the note, which mainly includes Chinese characters and some words in English, which are in stark contrast to the handwriting of Teoh Beng Hock, both in Chinese and English, in documents written by him before his untimely and tragic death,” their lawyer Karpal Singh said in a statement.
“Even his purported signature is far from his signature on documents he executed before his death.”
Karpal had shown a copy of the note to the family on Tuesday to get their approval for appointing a handwriting expert to give evidence at the inquest.
“The fact that the Attorney-General himself had doubts about the note initially brings into sharp focus the necessity of ensuring the note is authentic,” Karpal said.
A press statement relating how his chambers came across the note and why they withheld it despite having allegedly discovered it in Beng Hock’s sling bag last October created even more public confusion and anger.
“I cannot understand why a suicide note was found in TBH’s bag, purportedly apologizing to his boss for disclosing important information,” Gerakan leader Hsu Dar Ren wrote in his blog.
“I thought all belongings of his were kept by the department the moment he was called in. His hand-phone was with the department and was not returned to him, so did the department keep his bag too? In that case, how could he write something and put it inside the bag if the bag was already in the custody of the department?”
