Ahmad Marzuki Ibrahim said a former e-hailing driver, Lam Chang Nam, was then on trial at the Petaling Jaya magistrates’ court on kidnapping and blackmailing charges.

Marzuki took over the case in 2019, while Lam was charged in 2017 and entered a not guilty plea in 2018.

Marzuki insisted that efforts to look for leads and to trace Koh were made when his predecessor Supari Muhammad headed the probe.

“At the same time, the task force was also taking steps to look for (suspect) Saiful Bahari Abdul Aziz,” Marzuki said when testifying in the hearing of a lawsuit filed by Koh’s wife Susanna Liew against the police and the government over the pastor’s disappearance.

Liew wants the authorities to be held liable for her husband’s abduction and for misfeasance in public office.

Marzuki also claimed Saiful was “not involved” in Koh’s disappearance, and reiterated that he had wanted to record Saiful’s statement to know the latter’s whereabouts on Feb 13, 2017.

“There was a car which looked like a Toyota Vios that was seen in the video of the pastor’s abduction,” he said, pointing out that Saiful owned a car of the same model.

He also said there were no similarities in the disappearance of Koh and another activist, Amri Che Mat.

Senior federal counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid told the court that the defendants had called all their witnesses, and closed their case.

Justice Su Tiang Joo then ordered both parties to file their submissions and replies before Oct 8.

The court fixed Nov 5 for its decision.