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Still no ‘untampered’ task force report tendered in High Court today
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24, 2024: Even the words of senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid in the High Court cannot be taken for granted.
Yesterday, Farhana told Justice Su Tiang Joo that she would bring three clean copies of the task force report on Pastor Raymond Koh for use at the hearing tomorrow.
Today, no such report was tendered in the High Court.
No News Is Bad News reproduces below the court proceedings today and yesterday:
Pastor Koh’s wife Susanna Liew’s lead counsel Jerald Gomez told the High Court the document was unreadable as its pages were covered with watermarks and that various photographs tendered as exhibits were distorted.
Home ministry to provide Pastor Koh’s family watermark-free report
-24 Sep 2024, 07:26 PM
Lawyers representing Pastor Koh’s family had yesterday claimed the copy of the task force report into his disappearance was unreadable as it had been tampered with.
The home ministry has denied that the report submitted to Pastor Raymond Koh’s family and legal team was tampered with.
PETALING JAYA: The home ministry has undertaken to provide Pastor Raymond Koh’s family and their legal team with a copy of a task force report on his disappearance without any watermark.
Yesterday, FMT reported that lawyers representing the family in their lawsuit against the government told the High Court the copy of the report handed over to them was unreadable as it was covered with watermark.
In a statement, the home ministry said the report submitted to Koh’s family and legal team was the original unchanged report which was printed on watermarked paper.
The use of watermarked paper allows the government to identify the document’s owners in case the document is disseminated, said the ministry, adding that the report belonged to the government and was subject to the Official Secrets Act 1972.
“The office of the chief government security officer (CGSO) has reviewed this matter to ensure the document’s security is maintained.
However, the home ministry will provide a copy of the report without the watermark to Pastor Raymond Koh’s family and legal team based on the advice from the Attorney-General’s Chambers yesterday.
Yesterday, the family’s lead counsel Jerald Gomez told the High Court they wanted the government to produce the original report which was not tampered with. He also said various photographs tendered as exhibits were distorted.
The ministry denied that they had been tampered with.
Last month, the court ordered the government to give Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, a copy of the task force report.
Liew filed a lawsuit in 2020 against the police, the inspector-general of police and several former high-ranking police officers over Koh’s disappearance.
She wants the authorities to be held liable for his unlawful abduction and for misfeasance in public office.
An earlier inquiry conducted by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) had concluded that Koh and activist Amri Che Mat were victims of enforced disappearances carried out by the state, specifically by the Special Branch.
Following that finding, a special task force was set up by the home ministry to investigate the commission’s findings.
Neither the home ministry nor the task force has made the report public despite repeated calls for them to do so by various parties, including Suhakam and several NGOs.
Monday 23 September 2024
Cops, Govt tender task force report on Pastor Koh covered with watermarks thus unreadable
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Where are they? Cops, Government appear disinterested in solving the cases.
Cops, Govt tender task force report on Pastor Koh covered with watermarks thus unreadable
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23, 2024: The police and Government today tendered in the High Court a copy of the task force report on Pastor Raymond Koh that was unreadable.
Pastor Koh’s wife Susanna Liew’s lead counsel Jerald Gomez told the High Court the document was unreadable as its pages were covered with watermarks and that various photographs tendered as exhibits were distorted.
The suit, filed by Liew against the police and the Government, will continue tomorrow with senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid saying she would bring three clean copies of the report for use at the hearing tomorrow.
No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on the court proceedings:
Task force report on Pastor Koh tampered with, lawyer claims
-23 Sep 2024, 04:14 PM
Jerald Gomez tells the High Court the copy of the report produced by the government was covered with watermarks which made it unreadable.
Susanna Liew, wife of missing Pastor Raymond Koh, is suing the police, the inspector-general of police and several former high-ranking police officers over his disappearance more than seven years ago.
KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyers representing the family of Pastor Raymond Koh in their lawsuit against the government and the police have complained of not being able to read the contents of a task force report on his disappearance, alleging that the document had been tampered with.
Lead counsel Jerald Gomez told the High Court the document was unreadable as its pages were covered with watermarks. He also said various photographs tendered as exhibits were distorted.
“We do not agree that the defendants (the police and government) have fulfilled the court’s order on Aug 15.
We want the government to produce the original report without any tampering, he said.
Last month, the court ordered the government to give Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, discovery of the task force report.
Liew had filed a lawsuit in 2020 against the police, the inspector-general of police and several former high-ranking police officers over Koh’s disappearance. She wants the authorities to be held liable for his unlawful abduction and for misfeasance in public office.
Gomez also complained that the watermarks contain the name and identity card number of a solicitor, which he said should not appear on the document.
It has the effect of intimidating our legal team member who is receiving the report and representing Madam Susanna, he added.
The lawyer said both task force chairman Abdul Rahim Uda and Zamri Yahya, one of its members, should make themselves available to be cross-examined on the report’s contents.
In response, senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid told the court that the document produced had been photocopied from the original version and had not been tampered with.
She said she would bring three clean copies of the report for use at the hearing tomorrow.
“The home ministry is preparing the copies now,” Farhana added.
The hearing continues on Tuesday before Justice Su Tiang Joo.
Both Rahim and Zamri are scheduled to testify.
An earlier inquiry conducted by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) had concluded that Koh and activist Amri Che Mat were victims of enforced disappearances carried out by the state, specifically by the Special Branch.
Following that finding, a special task force was set up by the home ministry to investigate the commission’s findings.
Neither the home ministry nor the task force has publicly released the report despite repeated calls for them to do so by various parties, including by Suhakam and several other NGOs.
The report has been classified as a government secret.
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