Azmil said Nazri was simply expressing “his own opinion.” — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — 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.
The coroner said the inquest was not swayed by Nazri’s words and that the onus was on the court to decide whether to accept Dr Pornthip’s testimony.
“Dr Pornthip was called in as an expert witness. Her evidence is an expert opinion, evidence which the court will accept due to her specialised knowledge as an expert in forensic science.
“To say that she lied... is not acceptable. [But] everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Azmil added.
Karpal, who was representing Meng Kee, was not present today due to a separate case at the Court of Appeal.
A lawyer from Karpal’s law firm, Sangeet Kaur Deo, had wanted the court to stand down and postpone the reading of the decision, to allow time for the senior lawyer to appear in court, but this was denied.
“I’ll have to inform Mr Karpal about the decision. I tried calling him on his mobile number but he did not pick up,” said Sangeet.
Azmil took pains to carefully read out the grounds of judgment, pausing occasionally to refer to a stack of books on his desk, which included one titled “How to judge the judges.”
Political aide Teoh was found dead last July 16, after being questioned overnight by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over graft allegations.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — 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.
The coroner said the inquest was not swayed by Nazri’s words and that the onus was on the court to decide whether to accept Dr Pornthip’s testimony.
“Dr Pornthip was called in as an expert witness. Her evidence is an expert opinion, evidence which the court will accept due to her specialised knowledge as an expert in forensic science.
“To say that she lied... is not acceptable. [But] everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” Azmil added.
Karpal, who was representing Meng Kee, was not present today due to a separate case at the Court of Appeal.
A lawyer from Karpal’s law firm, Sangeet Kaur Deo, had wanted the court to stand down and postpone the reading of the decision, to allow time for the senior lawyer to appear in court, but this was denied.
“I’ll have to inform Mr Karpal about the decision. I tried calling him on his mobile number but he did not pick up,” said Sangeet.
Azmil took pains to carefully read out the grounds of judgment, pausing occasionally to refer to a stack of books on his desk, which included one titled “How to judge the judges.”
Political aide Teoh was found dead last July 16, after being questioned overnight by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over graft allegations.
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