Enforced disappearances: Ex-high court judge to lead six-man probe team
PUTRAJAYA: Former High Court Judge Datuk Abd Rahim Uda will lead a special task force investigating the enforced disappearances of pastor Raymond Koh and social activist Amri Che Mat.
Rahim, assisted by five other members of the task force, will investigate Suhakam’s damning revelation in April, which concluded that the police’s Special Branch was involved in Koh and Amri’s disappearance.
“The ministry views Suhakam’s report very seriously as it throws allegations against the police to the extent it has created a negative perception of the force that is tasked to maintain peace.
“The task force will investigate whether the Special Branch was indeed involved and of course, we want to find out the truth,” he said.
Other members of the task force are former Royal Malaysian Police legal unit chief Mokhtar Mohd Noor, Police Integrity and Standard Compliance Department director Zamri Yahya, EAIC director of operations Muhammad Bukhari Abdul Hamid and Mohd Sophian Zakaria who is a legal officer from Prosecution Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Mohd Russaini Idrusm, who is secretary of the Police Force Commission, was appointed as the task force’s secretary.
Muhyiddin said that the task force is given six months to complete their probe and submit a report to him.
Subsequently, Muhyiddin will hand over the report to the Cabinet for further action.
In April, Suhakam concluded that the Special Branch was involved in the abduction of Koh and Amri in 2017 and 2016 respectively, after a near two-year public inquiry on the case.
A panel of three commissioners heard the statements of 40 witnesses over a period of 45 days, reviewed 214 exhibits, and received oral and written submissions from the families and the police.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, however, defended the police saying that Suhakam’s report was merely based on hearsay.
However, then-Suhakam commissioner Mah Weng Kwai shot back at Mahathir, saying the human rights commission can accept hearsay evidence as public inquiries are not bound by Evidence Act 1950.
