Witness Azeem Hafeez Jamaluddin said that there were several meetings before the inquest into Teoh's death and the inquiry hearing, involving Hishammuddin Hashim, who was the Selangor MACC deputy director in 2009.
Azeem also alleged that Hishammuddin had instructed his men to cover up his role in the investigations against DAP state assemblypersons.
“The meeting was held three days after the incident, on July 19, and again several days before the inquest and commission. We were directed to be consistent in our statements to the police and also while testifying.
“Hishamuddin also ordered that no one can mention that he was the one directing the operation on the (DAP assemblypersons) and for the officers to inform that it was Hairul Ilham Hamzah who was in charge,” Azeem said.
Hairul was the then-Selangor MACC investigation unit chief. Teoh was called in to the Selangor MACC headquarters on July 15 as witness to investigations against his boss Ean Yong Hian Wah, who is a Selangor state exco member.
Coached witnesses?
Upon questioning by Bar Council lawyer Cheow Wee, Azeem admitted that he had sent a text message to a female MACC officer, Nellmy Amrizal, saying: “How do we answer to the commissioners? One can plan what to answer before them, but in the end, the truth will finally be out.”
This text message, he admitted, was sent on July 23, 2009, a few days after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced the possibility of the formation of an inquest and an RCI to investigate Teoh's death.
The witness also said that the then director of investigations, Mohd Shukri Abdull (now deputy chief commissioner) and chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed had also called for a meeting to standardise their testimonies.
He also revealed that the officers also had meetings with MACC's head of prosecution, Abdul Razak Musa, and his deputy Kevin Morais, on how to answer questions from the RCI.
Azeem also testified that a fellow officer, Hadri Hashim, had informed him about noon on July 16, 2008 that a Chinese witness (Teoh) had run away.
He said, “yes, the witness had run away” but that his belongings were still in the office.
“I did not help in the search as at that time I thought some other division or officers would do that,” he said.
That resulted in the commission panel led by Justice James Foong to ask how come he did not help in the search.
MACC story in doubt
Another panellist, Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, asked, “Does it not occur in your mind that this person had probably escaped and you are being lackadasical about it?
“Such an attitude will result in the public thinking the MACC is covering something up.”
Asked by Foong whether this meant to him that Teoh had not been released because the items belonging to him were still there, Azeem replied that through his understanding of procedures, the witness had not been released.
The MACC had claimed prior to this that Teoh had been released at 3.30am on July 16, 2009, and that he was free to leave. This latest revelation has raised questions as to the veracity of the MACC claim.
No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. ~Abraham Lincoln
The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff. ~Ambrose Bierce
I really hope those MACC officers who conspired to lie will have a greater fall then TBH!
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