Officer: Teoh’s boss did not misuse funds

The Star Wednesday April 27, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations did not unravel any evidence implicating Seri Kem­bangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah in the misappropriation of state funds, the Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s death heard here.

Commission senior officer Ahmad Shafik Abdul Rahman testified that Ean Yong had not committed any crime under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009.

(Section 18 deals with one’s intent to deceive one’s principal, which in this case was the Selangor government.)

“Our investigations indicated that the programmes and projects for which Ean Yong had made claims for, had been carried out,” he said.

The MACC had also not found any disproportionate claims for the projects and programmes that had been carried out, he added.

Given this, Ahmad Shafik said the Attorney-General’s Chambers had instructed the MACC to stop the investigations.

Ahmad Shafik had taken over the investigations in 2009, from the then investigating officer Mohd Anuar Ismail after Teoh, who was Ean Yong’s political aide, was found dead at the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.

Teoh, had been taken to the Selangor MACC office on the 14th floor a day earlier for questioning over the alleged illegal disbursement of state funds by Ean Yong.

On allegations that the DAP had received kickbacks from the claims made to contractors, Ahmad Shafik said the money paid to the Serdang Aman DAP and the national DAP offices were actually reimbursement of advances to carry out programmes.

However, the relevant documentation supporting the advance reimbursement for Serdang Aman DAP office could not be found, he added.

According to Ahmad Shafik, the then MACC investigation director Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull had also ordered that investigations on the payments received by the DAP be stopped.

He also said that a RM112 payment to Teoh for a programme was a reimbursement for banners, which he had paid for in advance.

Ahmad Shafik explained that the money had been advanced because claims could only be made after a programme had been completed.

To a question by commission chairman Federal Court judge Tan Sri James Foong on why the case was investigated by the Selangor MACC, Ahmad Shafik said he did not know.

When questioned on the nature of crime being investigated, Ahmad Shafik said it was based on an allegation that Ean Yong’s office in his constituency had made claims for uncompleted projects.