SHAH ALAM, Tues: The recording of Teoh Beng Hock's conversation made by a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer may be played in the Coroner's Court to assist in the investigation into the death of the political aide.
Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas who is hearing the inquest will hear it tomorrow before making a decision whether it is relevant or not to hand it to all parties in the case.
The lawyer representing the government, Tan Hock Chuan, earlier suggested that the recording of Teoh be surrendered to the court and the suggestion was supported by the MACC's law director Datuk Abdul Razak Musa.
Abdul Razak said the recording could show Teoh's mental and thinking level during the investigation but counsel Gobind Singh Deo, for Teoh's family, objected as in his opinion the recording would not help much and it would not show the actual situation of Teoh before his death.
Teoh, 30, political aide to the chairman of the Selangor state committee for new villages and illegal factories management, Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on Jul 16 on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam after giving a statement on the alleged abuse of Selangor state allocations at the MACC office also located in the same building.
In today's proceedings, MACC acting senior superintendent Mohd Anuar Ismail, 32, told the court that the recording was made on July 16 in relation to the alleged misuse of allocations of the Seri Kembangan state assemblyman, Ean Yong Hian Wah.
Mohd Anuar said the recording was made at 1.30am and 3.30am on that day by MACC officer Mohd Nadzri Ibrahim and he was able to observe the situation for between two and three minutes.
Asked by Tan if he felt any problems while the recording was made, Mohd Anuar said: "I asked Mohd Nadzri and Teoh if there were any problems while the recording was being made. Mohd Nadzri said there were no problems while Teoh kept quiet.
Mohd Anuar said all the time Teoh was at the MACC office, he was not handcuffed and the recording was made with the room door open.
He said after seeing Teoh and Nadzri, he went to the toilet at 3.30am and decided to sleep in the prayer room next to the toilet till 5am
While relating his meeting with Teoh, Mohd Anuar said it began with his investigation relating to the alleged misappropriation of allocations and Teoh was responsible for managing all documents of claims by Yong.
"In the state secretariat office, I and four MACC officers met Teoh and I asked him to produce claims documents for the Seri Kembangan constituency for 2008 and 2009. He agreed to my request and placed the documents in the meeting room.
"We made checks in the meeting room. After the checking Yong came with many reporters. I told Yong that I was not comfortable with so many reporters and seeing the situation was not permissible I went down," he said.
However, after about 25 minutes he and his men went back up to Teoh's office and informed him to make checks of Teoh's CPU and laptop.
He said after Teoh, Yong and lawyer M. Manoharan, who represented Teoh, discussed the laptop and the CPU were seized to be taken to the MACC office. At that point Teoh also voiced his agreement to also go to the MACC office.
Mohd Anuar said he arrived at the MACC office about 6pm on the same day (July 15) and while there saw Teoh walking in the administration section of the office.
"When I asked Teoh how I could help, Teoh told me he wanted to contact Manoharan. I allowed him to contact Manoharan and I saw him talking to someone for a few minutes and he said "are you coming or not". That's all," he said.
Asked if Manoharan came after that, Mohd Anuar said: "No".
After that Mohd Anuar said Teoh's phone was switched off and he and Teoh went to the MACC officers' resting room and there two MACC officers interviewed Teoh on his family background and his work at 6.30pm.
Mohd Anuar said after that at midnight he went out of the MACC office for personal matters and came back to the office between 12.30am and 1am.
While he was out, he did not know who was with Teoh and when he returned he did not meet with the man.
However, he was informed by his officer that Teoh was being interviewed by two MACC officers before his conversation was recorded about 2am by Mohd Nadzri. The hearing continues tomorrow. -- NST.
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