In a statement, acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan questioned why Putrajaya, through the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), was trying to create the impression that they were avenging Adib’s death.
This was despite the fact that “Adib’s murderers” are still at large.
Mohamad said it was a given that investigating the cause of death and investigating those who caused that person’s death are two separate issues, with different objectives.
He then urged the police to wrap up investigations quickly and the AGC to follow through on their report and determine if he was murdered, rather than calling for an inquest by a coroner’s court.
“I am very sympathetic to Adib’s family that is still asking who the murderers of their son are,” he said.
Adib, 24, was injured in the riots at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ25 on Nov 27. He died on Dec 17 at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
Case management for Adib’s inquest at the Shah Alam Court Complex has been set for Jan 18.
An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions which is conducted by a judge or a jury, acting as a coroner, to explain the cause of death behind a sudden or unexplained death.
Inquest verdicts can include natural death, accidental death, misadventure, suicide or murder. If the verdict is murder, criminal prosecution may follow. Suspects defend themselves there.
Meanwhile, Mohamad also questioned why Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the AG (Attorney-General) had called for an inquest, and not Tommy Thomas himself.
“This gives the impression to Malaysians that the home minister is interfering in the police investigation and AG’s prosecution.
“Why did the AG order for an inquest when the police are still investigating Adib’s death as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code?
“Is the AG doubting the police’s efficiency and their credibility in investigating the murder?”
Section 339 of the Criminal Procedure Code allows for the AG to call for an inquest. The magistrate, on the other hand, has wide powers under Section 328 of the Criminal Procedure Code to state the cause of someone’s death.
The full post-mortem report into the cause of Adib’s death is expected to be ready in about a month.
Mohamad added that Malaysians are now getting to see if the government was in fact following the rule of law or just “using legal procedures to delay justice” in the case of Adib’s sudden death.
Mohamad echoed the concerns of lawyers that FMT recently quoted. The lawyers questioned the need for an inquest when a police investigation has wider powers to investigate and scrutinise evidence in determining Adib’s death.