MACC man in Beng Hock saga among top officers to retire

Top officers of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) are set to retire in the coming weeks and months in what could herald the biggest replacement of senior positions in the anti-corruption agency in recent times.

A source at MACC told MalaysiaNow that about a dozen officers have recently retired or are due to retire.

They include senior director of investigations Hishamuddin Hashim, who was named as one of those responsible for the death of Teoh Beng Hock in 2009, just hours after he was brought to the MACC office in Shah Alam.

Those who have retired in recent months are senior director (Special Operations) Tan Kang Sai, deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Norazlan Mohd Razali, senior director for planning and governance Abd Aziz Aban, senior deputy commissioner of investigations Izani Wan Ishak, Kedah MACC director Rosley Mohamad Satar and his Perak counterpart Mohd Fauzi Mohamad.

Those due to retire in the coming weeks are Kuala Lumpur MACC director Mohamad Fauzi Husin and his Selangor counterpart Alias Salim.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Johor MACC director Azmi Alias had his tenure extended.

In July 2011, a royal commission of enquiry into Teoh's mysterious death concluded that Hishamuddin and his junior officers Mohamad Anuar Ismail and Ashraf Mohd Yunus had played a role in Teoh's death.

Hishamuddin was only recently tasked with an investigation into alleged corruption involving Selangor state firm Menteri Besar Inc.

On Aug 1, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met with family members of Teoh, two weeks after skirmishes outside Parliament when they attempted to hand over a memorandum to reopen the investigation into his death.

Anwar had announced at the time that a new investigation into Teoh's death would be conducted transparently and fairly.

Early last month, Teoh's family criticised the absence of any action by authorities despite Anwar's personal assurances.

"But we have not seen any action from the police so far," said a statement issued by a foundation in his name,the Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement.

"The reopening of Teoh Beng Hock's case is only, to adopt a famous chinese idiom, hearing the sound of footsteps, but no one came down," it said.

In 2009, Teoh, an aide to then DAP assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found sprawled on the landing of the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, just hours after he was detained for questioning at the MACC office located on the 14th floor of the building.

In 2011, the Shah Alam Coroner's Court handed down an open verdict and ruled that his death was not due to suicide, murder or third-party involvement.

In the same year, a royal inquiry found that Teoh was “driven to suicide” due to aggressive interrogation methods deployed by MACC officers.

Three years later, the Court of Appeal overturned the inquest verdict, and recommended police to reopen investigations.