Ali Asra Abu Bakar told the High Court that he had met Roeshan Celestine Gomez on Feb 13, 2017, several hours after the latter had witnessed Koh’s abduction, to record Gomez’s statement.
Ali said Gomez had lodged a police report and he was assigned to take a statement from the eyewitness that same day.
In 2023, Gomez testified that Koh’s abduction had been “professionally done”, adding that it happened within one minute.
“I told him (Gomez) it (Koh’s abduction) may have been a police operation but said I needed to check whether any arrests were made that day,” said Ali.
The officer was testifying in a lawsuit filed by Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, on behalf of their family against the police and government over the pastor’s disappearance.
Liew wants the authorities to be held liable for her husband’s unlawful abduction and for misfeasance in public office.
Ali also said he made phone calls to other officers about what Gomez saw but did not tell the court about the responses he received.
He told the court that he went to the scene of the abduction in Jalan SS4B/10, Petaling Jaya, before meeting Gomez. He named others who were present at the scene, including investigating officer, Supari Muhammad.
Ali said he found glass from a shattered car windshield and the pieces of a broken car number plate scattered on the road.
“I instructed the photographer to take pictures of the scene, including the windshield and broken number plate,” he added.
Asked in cross-examination by Liew’s lawyer, Steven Thiru, whether the police tried to obtain CCTV recordings from houses along the road, Ali said he did not, repeating his answer to a Suhakam public inquiry held in 2017.
Steven: Do you agree that this was a weakness in your investigation?
Ali: I disagree.
He also said he took Liew’s statement that night which went on from 10pm until the wee hours of the morning.
Ali said he asked Liew several questions on proselytisation in an attempt to get leads on Koh’s disappearance.
Asked whether the questions were intended to find wrongdoings committed by Koh, Ali disagreed.
The hearing continues before Justice Su Tiang Joo on Jan 13.