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Thursday 20 August 2009

Mystery letter delivers new twist to Teoh inquest

By Debra Chong- The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Aug 19 — The ongoing inquiry to discover how political aide Teoh Beng Hock died got a shot in the arm today when lawyer Gobind Singh Deo handed in a letter said to contain explicit details which may prove crucial to the inquest.

Magistrate Azmil Muntapha Abas, who is acting as coroner in the inquest, ordered the police investigating officer, ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal, to immediately look into the contents of the letter and check all its claims.

Azmil also told the lawyers involved not to disclose the details of the letter to anyone but did not issue a “gag order” as requested by the lawyer heading the Attorney General's team and assisting him in the inquest, Tan Hock Chuan.

Tan asked for the “gag” to prevent putting the police follow-up at risk, as several notable people are said to be named in the controversial letter.

But Gobind, who is representing Teoh's family, said a gag would not necessarily prevent the details from leaking out.

“If it reached me, I'm sure it may reach others,” he later told reporters.

Gobind said the letter was handed directly to him late yesterday afternoon, just as he was leaving the court here.

The envelope it came in was not addressed to him, he said. He refused to say who it was directed to.

He admitted there was an “insignia” on the cover of the letter, but clammed up when quizzed further.

The inquest today was postponed without any witnesses called to testify. It will resume on Monday at 2pm.

Teoh’s family — father Leong Hwee, mother Teng Shuw Hor, elder brother Meng Kee and younger sister Lee Lan — had driven all the way up from their hometown in Alor Gajah, Malacca to follow today’s inquest, which was to have continued with Selangor graft buster Mohd Anuar Ismail’s testimony.

Mohd Anuar had been tasked to head the operation investigating claims DAP Selangor state assemblymen were misusing state funds.

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