Azahar Muda, who used to head the state police’s criminal investigation department, said a witness, Yusri Khalid, who claimed he saw a car chase on the night of Nov 24, 2016, could not confirm if Amri was involved.
He said another witness, Vee Yak Ban Jong, who saw a few cars parked outside Amri’s house several days before the activist went missing, was also of no assistance to the authorities.
“That was why we opened an inquiry paper because we had doubts and were unsure (of what happened). I told my officers to look for leads and witnesses.
“To me, Amri’s case was a normal missing person’s case, of which we had a handful in Perlis,” he said.
Azahar was testifying in a lawsuit filed by Amri’s wife, Norhayati Ariffin, against the government and several police officers, including himself, over the conduct of investigations into the activist’s disappearance.
The suit alleges that the defendants breached the law and their statutory duties, committed misfeasance in public office, and were negligent in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Norhayati’s lawyer, Surendra Ananth, pointed out that Vee Yak had identified the number plate of a Toyota Vios that was parked outside Amri’s house.
“Did you ask (investigating officers) Khor Yi Shuen and Roslan Remeli to check the number plate and its registered owner?” he asked.
Azahar said the duo informed him that the registered owner, Saiful Bahari Abdul Aziz, was working on the night of Nov 24, 2016.
“I told them to check the toll plaza CCTV to see if any Toyota Vios had entered Perlis and also to see if anyone named Saiful Bahari had checked into hotels here.
“They said no Vios had entered Perlis that day. Khor also went to Saiful’s workplace and found that the Vios had no tinted windows, which contradicted what Vee Yak had said,” he said.
Surendra: Did you know that the task force concluded that police had failed to make Saiful a prime suspect, and that you did not get information on his whereabouts in a speedy manner?
Azahar: I disagree (with the findings). Khor went to check the toll booths and hotels (around Perlis).
Azahar acknowledged that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had reclassified Amri’s disappearance as a kidnapping in 2019, and said they had simply complied with this instruction.
Senior federal counsel Zetty Zurina Kamaruddin told the court Azahar was the defendant’s last witness and that they wished to close their case.
Justice Su Tiang Joo ordered both parties to file their submissions and replies before Sept 29.
The court fixed Nov 5 for a decision, the same day as the decision in Pastor Raymond Koh’s family’s lawsuit against the government and police.