A young man died but after several hours of investigation, court time, press conferences and testimonies from witnesses, pathologists and experts, no one was found guilty.

Many Malaysians are left wondering, “Who is being protected in Teoh Beng Hock’s homicide?”

From the time Teoh’s family demanded an investigation into his mysterious death in July 2009, several obstacles allegedly blocked their quest for justice.

Sadly, many people may have forgotten about Teoh. Some students I spoke to have no idea who he was.

It has been 16 years since the untimely death of the then 30-year-old aide to the DAP Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, and we are no closer to the truth and no closer to naming and finding the people responsible for his death.

It has been one setback against another.

The family deserves justice. More importantly, the family deserves closure, but it appears that even this is being denied the family.

Teoh and his family have been failed by the MACC by at least two prime ministers who promised to get to the bottom of the crime.

In 2016, Teoh’s family was also failed by the Attorney-General’s Chambers which found no criminal elements in Teoh’s death and announced that no MACC officer would be charged.

After intense lobbying by the Teoh family in the latest round of incredulity, it seems that Teoh has also been failed by the police.

The police decided to classify Teoh’s wrongful death case as “No Further Action” (NFA).

Those of us still remember the drama back in 2009 when the family rejected the findings of the first autopsy on Teoh.

His family demanded a second autopsy to be conducted on his body and the Thai pathologist assigned to carry it out had to have security protection as the then Umno-Baru government were averse to the idea.

Finally, when the necessary permits were approved, Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand found that his injuries were consistent with a fall from a great height.

From then on, it has been a rollercoaster ride for the family.

His family will recall that on July 15, 2009, Teoh was summoned to the MACC Selangor headquarters in Shah Alam to answer allegations about his boss’ alleged abuse of state funds.

It was allegedly about RM2,500 worth of buntings for use in elections.

From the very beginning, the ‘routine’ interrogation of Teoh by the MACC raised more questions than answers.

It was alleged that the then PM, Najib Abdul Razak wanted to wrest control of the state of Selangor from the Harapan coalition. Teoh’s interrogation was a mere excuse to quiz him and to rattle the DAP.

Teoh was held overnight and questioned by MACC officers on the 14th floor of the building, at the MACC headquarters.

He failed to return home, and his body was found the following day, July 16, on the fifth-floor service corridor of the adjacent Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam. 

Teoh’s death matters. It could so easily have happened to any of us or our loved ones.

To date, no one has been punished for the murder. Why?

How did he get there? Was he pushed or did he jump? Why would a young man about to get married and whose fiancé was expecting his child, end his life?

Moreover, how he came to be on the roof of the adjacent building has not really been fully explained till this day.

It would be safe to conclude that Teoh was murdered by a person or persons unknown. The investigation into his death has been mired in controversy all the while.

However, the MACC officers bungled the interrogation, and somehow, somewhere something went wrong, which ended with Teoh’s lifeless body on the roof.

Inadvertently, the MACC ended up with a national and political nightmare which to this day remains unresolved.

The CCTV, which was present on the floor and room of the building, was said to be pointing in the wrong way, or was not functioning.

Teoh’s wristwatch is still missing. The fall would have damaged the watch and probably pinpoint the exact time of his death.

Even the autopsy conducted on Teoh was suspect as the government pathologist’s findings differed widely from that of the second autopsy conducted by an independent world-renowned pathologist from Thailand, Dr Porntip.

The paperwork and permit needed to bring Porntip into Malaysia was another minefield that the family had to navigate.

Malaysians will remember how in July 2009, Najib met the Teoh family and promised them, amongst other things, that “no stone will be left unturned in finding out the real cause of the death, and if there is any foul play, action will definitely be taken.”

However, these were mere empty promises.

Eighteen months after his death, the ensuing inquest into Teoh’s death was inconclusive and an open verdict was delivered on January 5, 2011.

Public pressure prompted the government to convene a RCI, but that ruled he had been driven to suicide due to aggressive interrogation.

Three officers were alleged to have interrogated Teoh.

In 2014, the Court of Appeal ruled his death was caused or accelerated by unlawful acts, including those of MACC officers.

Two years later, the Attorney-General found that no criminal elements were involved and no MACC officers would be charged. Why?

When Harapan won the General Election in 2018, Teoh’s death case was reopened.

The RCI report concluded that five MACC officers had given false testimonies about their actions before Teoh was found dead.

There are many more unanswered questions but the police report last month, on May 21, said no further action will be taken. This is unacceptable!

A man died under suspicious circumstances. People lied about their whereabouts. The MACC failed in their duty of care to ensure Teoh’s safety.

We should not look away now just because the police said “NFA”.

Haven’t previous probes also ended with the same sorry “NFA”?

It is almost as if those responsible for Teoh’s death are being accorded a degree of protection.

Perhaps, the entire MACC’s operation will be brought under unwelcome public scrutiny?

Teoh’s death matters. It could so easily have happened to any of us or our loved ones.

We must continue the fight for justice for Teoh.

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)