Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the action was taken as the AGC believes there are valid grounds for an appeal.
“The attorney-general (AG) carefully reviewed the judgment and concluded that there are sufficient grounds to file an appeal, including issues related to financial obligations.
“This does not mean the government does not value life, rights, or freedom, nor that it prioritises financial burdens – absolutely not.
“This is about upholding the principle of universal justice. When the government’s legal adviser, the AG, believes there is a basis for an appeal, that is what is done,” he said during the ministerial question session in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a question from Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang), who asked the home minister to outline the next steps the government would take regarding the court rulings on Koh and Amri.
The AGC said last week that it would appeal the High Court decisions ordering the government and police to pay Amri and Koh’s families a total sum of over RM40 million.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court had ordered the government and police to pay Koh’s family RM37 million over the state’s involvement in his abduction.
The court also ordered the government and police to pay a sum of more than RM3 million to Amri’s family for their failure to conduct proper investigations into his disappearance.
New investigation team formed
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said a reinvestigation into the disappearances of Koh and Amri had been launched by a team led by a police officer with the rank of assistant commissioner.
“The police quickly formed an investigative team, even though the previous investigations were never officially closed.
“They will review all initial investigation files, Suhakam reports, and special task force reports, and gather new statements. We urge anyone with information about these cases to come forward and assist the police,” he said.
Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, yesterday urged the government to appoint deputy inspector-general of police Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay to lead the reopened investigation into her husband’s disappearance.