Mystery letter fingers senior MACC officer over Teoh’s death

KUALA LUMPUR— The mystery letter delivered yesterday to Gobind Singh Deo, the lawyer for Teoh Beng Hock’s family, was sent by anonymous parties claiming to be “MACC officers” who urged the authorities to probe a senior anti-graft officer for corruption and involvement in the DAP political aide’s death.

The letter, written in Bahasa Malaysia and allegedly sent by unnamed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, appears to give lawyers for the family ammunition and a roadmap to investigate Teoh's death.

The Malaysian Insider understands that a senior official of the MACC is named as someone who was personally involved in questioning Teoh in the final hours before he died.

An account of what happened during questioning is also suggested.

But the letter does not say how Teoh actually died, which is the subject of the ongoing magistrate’s inquest.

Besides the description of the senior official, a string of allegations against him are also contained in the letter.

The letter accuses the senior official of widespread corruption involving previous investigations.

Details of the investigations are listed.

The letter also calls for an “independent investigation” of the senior official over the corruption allegations and his involvement in Teoh’s death.

Yesterday, 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 Tan Hock Chuan, the lawyer heading the Attorney-General's team and assisting him in the inquest.

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.

Gobind said the letter was handed directly to him late Tuesday 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 yesterday was postponed without any witnesses called to testify. It will resume on Monday at 2pm. (TMI)