By Ken Vin Lek - Free Malaysia Today,
FMT ALERT SHAH ALAM: The Shah Alam Coroner's Court today dismissed an application filed by the family of late Teoh Beng Hock to cite Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz for contempt.
Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas ruled that Nazri was expressing his own opinion when he called Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand a liar.
“Of course, it is not acceptable for Nazri to call Dr Pornthip a liar but there is no evidence suggesting that the remarks made by him had any bad motive or ill intention to affect the courts judgement,” he added.
“He is entitled to his opinion... the court cannot enter into a public or political controversy,” he said.
Karpal, lawyer for Teoh's family, who could not make it to court due to a separate case at the Court of Appeal, was represented by Sangeet Kaur Deo.
Sangeet had earlier tried to delay proceedings for the hearing of the decision to allow time for Karpal to appear in court, but this was denied by the coroner.
Teoh's brother Meng Kee filed a notice to cite Nazri for contempt of court on April 14 for allegedly branding Pornthip a "liar" after she refused to attend the inquest, claiming that she was under pressure from her own government and the Malaysian authorities.
This was supported by affidavits filed by Karpal and Malaysiakini reporter Hazlan Zakaria, who said Nazri had uttered the words “She is a liar! She lied in the inquest” in a phone interview on April 11.
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