KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney-General's Chambers was unable to secure the attendance of two task force members involved in the inquiry into Pastor Raymond Koh's disappearance to testify in court.
Senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid said the duo – task force chairman Datuk Abdul Rahim Uda and Datuk Zamri Yahya were required to testify in court for a civil lawsuit filed by Koh's family against the government, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today.
Abd Rahim and Zamri are a former High Court judge and a former director of the Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department, respectively.
"The Home Ministry informed us that Abd Rahim is no longer under its purview after he completed his duty as the task force chairman.
"They do not know where he stays. It is for the plaintiff's counsel to conduct a search to locate him.
"We can assist to get Zamri's address based on Bukit Aman's records," she said before High Court judge Soo Tiang Joo today.
Koh's family had subpoenaed the pair for questioning about the contents of the task force's report.
In June 2019, the then Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the setting up of the task force with Abd Rahim as the chairman.
The others appointed to the task force were Zamri; Datuk Muhammad Bukhari Ab Hamid (director of the Operations Division of the Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission); Mohd Sophian Zakaria (legal officer in the Prosecution Division of the Attorney-General's Chambers) and Mohd Russaini Idrus (under-secretary of the Police Force Commission).
Lawyer Datuk Jerald Gomez appeared for the family.
On Apr 3, 2019, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) revealed that two missing persons, Koh and social activist Amri Che Mat, were victims of an enforced disappearance.
Then chairman Datuk Mah Weng Kwai said the commission was of the considered view that the enforced disappearance of the two was carried out by agents of the state, namely Bukit Aman Special Branch.
Amri, who was the founder of Perlis non-governmental organisation Hope, reportedly went missing after he had left his home in Kangar at 11.30pm on Nov 24, 2016.
He was driving a Toyota Fortuner when it was "boxed in" at the material time. About an hour later, Amri's vehicle was found abandoned at a construction site at Bukit Chabang in Kangar.
Less than three months later, Koh was last seen by his wife on Feb 13, 2017 at 10.15am.
It was reported that Koh was abducted by a group of men along Jalan SS4B/10 in Petaling Jaya while on his way to a friend's house.