Pangallo, who had been monitoring the inquest for the South Australian senate, said the coroner’s verdict today had left the Jenkins family still searching for answers.
The coroner said a lack of evidence meant the court was unable to determine how Anna died and what could have caused her death.
“This whole thing (inquest) has been a waste of time, an absolute waste of time for everybody concerned,” said Pangallo at the end of the inquest, which started on April 1 last year.
“We’ve had situations where the witnesses didn’t even appear to give evidence. This whole inquest has been a farce,” he said.
“I can assure you that if it was a Malaysian citizen who fell victim to a crime in Australia, they would not be treated like this. This is just treating the family with utter disdain,” said Pangallo.
“I sincerely hope the Malaysian government looks at this situation, tries to improve things, and make the criminal justice system work and be fairer.”
He hoped the Jenkins family would consider filing an appeal with the High Court against today’s verdict.
Pangallo said the inquest made no mention of what he described as a botched police investigation into the case, and the evidence that was tendered was inadequate.
Parit Buntar-born Anna went missing in Penang while on a short holiday with her husband in December 2017. Her remains were found at a construction site in June 2020 near the racecourse at Scotland Road, 3km from where she was last seen alighting from an Uber ride.
A policewoman told the inquest last October that Jenkins’ remains were not immediately discovered as only a surface search was conducted initially. Penang police contingent crime scene investigation officer Noorhasiah Hamdan, 31, said she only found bones and personal effects on her second visit to the scene.
Deputy public prosecutor Khairul Anuar Abdul Halim had previously also questioned the credibility of the police as they were unable to detect Anna’s bones, which were instead, found by her son Greg.
While Penang police claimed that Anna was wanted for drug-related crimes in Australia, South Australian police have cleared her of any crimes through a statement submitted to the coroner during the inquest.
Pangallo criticised the police for showing a lack of concern for Anna’s death. He said the police lacked the expertise and resources to solve the case, and that the cops could not be relied on as witnesses in the inquiry.
He also criticised the fact that the lawyer representing the Jenkins family, S Raveentharan, was not allowed to cross-examine witnesses.
Australia’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Justin Lee, was among those present at today’s inquest. He later told the media that he was sad that the family was not able to “get the answers that they’ve so desperately wanted”.