Susanna Liew takes Khalid Abu Bakar to task over police investigation into the disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh, who has been missing for nearly 200 days now.
PETALING JAYA: The wife of Pastor Raymond Koh today slammed Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar over the investigation into her husband’s disappearance, calling the public announcements on the case vague, inconsistent and “bordering on sensationalism”.
In an open letter to Khalid, who retires in less than a week, Susanna Liew noted that tomorrow would mark 200 days since Koh was abducted.
“We are devastated. What makes it worse is the way you and the police under your command have treated us, Raymond’s family, while conducting investigations into his abduction.”
She said the public claims made by Khalid since April about developments in the case had been riddled with inconsistencies “that raise more questions than answers and doubts about the authorities’ commitment to properly investigate this case”.
She also hit out at Khalid’s advice to the family not to speak about the case to the media.
“I am bewildered as to why you have chosen to ignore your own advice,” she said.
On June 25, Khalid said the police had found new leads in Koh’s abduction following a drug sting operation conducted the week before.
He said police raided the house of a drug trafficking suspect where photos believed to be of Koh’s house and car, bearing the licence plate number ST5515D, were found.
The raid was conducted after the suspect was killed in a shootout with police in Kampung Weng Dalam, Kedah.
However, Liew pointed out that Khalid’s comments on the shootout did not match what was originally said by the Kedah police during their press conference on June 18.
She said there had been no mention of the photos or the ST5515D licence plate in the extensive list of evidence displayed at the Kedah press conference.
There was also a discrepancy in the description of the suspect who was killed in the police shootout, she said.
“While IGP Khalid claimed that the dead man was a ‘main player in an arms, drugs and human trafficking syndicate’, a week earlier, Kedah police chief Asri Yusoff had said that the police believed that this man was a smuggler of arms and drugs from Thailand working alone.
“I do not know why you and the police have chosen to treat us this way,” she said, referring to Khalid.
“Why are you doing this? If this sensational story is based on a logical and credible line of enquiry with verifiable evidence, then why not update me accordingly?
“If there is no credible evidence, then why build this narrative in the full glare of the media spotlight? Why is there a need for this?”
Noting that Khalid would be retiring on Sept 5, Liew wished him a happy retirement and expressed hope for better cooperation with his successor.
She said Malaysia’s image as a nation committed to the rule of law was at stake in this case.
“It is imperative that all parties can work together to ensure that investigations are conducted in a transparent, impartial and accountable manner so that truth and justice prevail,” she added.
Koh, 62, was abducted by a group of masked men less than 100 metres from the Police Housing Complex in SS4, Kelana Jaya, on the morning of Feb 13.
Video footage later emerged showing what looked like a well-executed plan involving seven vehicles and at least 12 individuals.
The entire incident took place in under a minute, after which all the vehicles, including Koh’s car, were seen driven away.
Khalid later revealed that police were also investigating Koh for proselytising, as there were police reports over such an offence.
Liew had previously voiced dissatisfaction with the lack of police updates on the case, saying she only knew what she had read in the media.
She also expressed disappointment with Khalid for investigating her husband’s alleged proselytising rather than solving his abduction.