GEORGE TOWN: Penang police have ruled out any foul play in the death of a prominent property developer, who fell from the balcony of his unit on the 16th floor of a luxury condominium in Jalan Kelawei early yesterday.
Deputy state police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh said this was consistent with the post-mortem report which revealed that the 53-year-old had died as a result of "multiple injuries due to a fall from height".
He said the post-mortem report also revealed that there were no traces of alcohol and drugs in the man's system.
"As such, police have classified the case as sudden death report (SDR). Nevertheless, we are still investigating further.
"We urge the people to stop any speculation about the death," he told a press conference at the state police headquarters here today.
Fisol, however, refused to reveal the identity of the deceased.
"All of you would have known the identity by now based on reports. Out of respect for the deceased's family, and in the name of ethics, it is not right for us to name the victim. I hope you will understand that," he added.
It was widely reported yesterday that Ewein Bhd founder and executive chairman Datuk Ewe Swee Kheng was the said person.
Fisol also said closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the luxury condominium also did not show any suspicious person or persons entering at the time of the incident.
Statements recorded from the deceased's 55-year-old wife, 21-year-old son and 24-year-old daughter were consistent, Fisol said, adding that the man was his usual self prior to the incident.
"We were also told by the man's wife that he had been summoned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to assist in a probe before this," he said, adding that the deceased did not leave behind any notes.
He also said that the man had no history of depression or mental illness.
Fisol said at the time of the incident, the man's wife and children were sleeping and did not witness the incident until they were alerted about it at 5.20am. His body was found in the luxury condominium's swimming pool.
The deceased's wife and other family members were spotted at the Penang Hospital's Forensic Unit this afternoon before his body was released to them.
It was reported that the deceased was one of the prosecution witnesses in the ongoing RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel graft case involving former Penang chief minister and ex-Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He had been remanded by the MACC in January 2018 to assist in the graft buster's investigation.