Pol-sec found dead near MACC office

Teoh

SHAH ALAM: An aide to a Selangor state executive councillor who was assisting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) probe into allegations of misuse of allocations by several state assemblymen was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam here – nine floors below where the MACC office is located.

A janitor found the body of Teoh Beng Hock, 30, political secretary to Ean Yong Hian Wah, at about 1.30pm.

It is learnt that Teoh, who was taken in for questioning by the MACC on Wednesday evening, was released from the commission’s Selangor headquarters, located on the 14th floor of the 20-storey building, at about 3.45am yesterday.

MACC director of investigations Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull said Teoh, a former journalist with Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh, was released after his officers had finished recording his statement.

He said Teoh did not leave the building and was seen loitering about, and had asked to rest for a while in the pantry.

“No one saw him after that until we were alerted about a body found on the fifth floor at about 1.30pm,” he said, adding that Teoh was a witness in the investigation.

It is learnt that the MACC office does not have any CCTV installed.

Ean Yong, the Seri Kembangan state assemblyman, who was at Plaza Masalam, said he only learnt of Teoh’s death when told by journalists that a body was found at about 4pm and that it could be Teoh’s.

“I was on my way to the MACC office because I had not been able to contact Teoh from the time he had been taken in for questioning,” he said.

Sudden death: The Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam where Teoh's body was found

Ean Yong said he had gone to the MACC office at midnight on Wednesday and asked to see Teoh but was not allowed to see him. So, he left at 1.30am.

Several DAP leaders, including adviser Lim Kit Siang and Selangor exco member Teresa Kok, met the MACC top brass yesterday to seek information about Teoh’s death. They were briefed by MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamad.

A candelight vigil was held for Teoh at the building last night.

At about 4pm on Wednesday, five MACC officers raided the office of Ean Yong at the state secretariat building here. They were said to be looking for documents on how state allocations were being spent.

During the raid, the officers seized a laptop computer and a central processing unit from the exco member’s office. They also took in Teoh for questioning.

Ean Yong is among seven assemblymen and exco members being investigated by the MACC for allegedly misusing state allocations channelled through the Petaling District Office.