The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock's death today rejected an attempt by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to carry out a scientific determination on the possibility the DAP political aide had committed suicide.

The inquiry panel threw out the application made by MACC counsel Muhammad Shafie Abdullah, who suggested that an analysis of Teoh’s body fluids for glucose and cholesterol levels could indicate his mental state at the time of the tragedy.

Pathologist Dr Buphinder Singh, who sits on the five-member inquiry panel, pointed out that the samples had most likely been contaminated after they were opened during the inquest into Teoh's death.

Shafie had earlier pointed out that according to psychiatric journals, suicide victims would commonly have low glucose or cholesterol levels, causing them to behave "abnormally".

Buphinder said that, because NONE the samples were mostly likely contaminated, any test conducted would yield "false positives" and would be of no value to the inquiry.

"If the tests were done immediately, then it could have carried some weight. I would say a re-analysis now will be a fruitless effort," he said during testimony given by the inquiry's ninth witness, chemist Zuraiha Awang.

Zuraiha had played down the viability of re-analysing the fluids, saying that body fluids such as blood and urine contain micro-organisms that would react with the fluids and generate higher glucose levels than originally found in the samples.

She said proper storage of fluids, such as blood which should be refrigerated at 4 degrees Celsius, is required to prevent micro-organisms from compromising the samples.

Zuraiha noted that the fluid containers had not been resealed since the last time she opened them during the inquest at least a year ago.

Chuckles over watch-strap

At the end of the day's proceedings, the gallery was left in stitches as RCI chairperson James Foong ran rings around Bar Council representative Chris Leong, who had applied for the watch-strap tendered as evidence to be kept and sealed in a new plastic bag.

NONE Foong, who appeared amused by the request, decided to go the whole nine yards by suggesting that the strap be kept under lock and key.

"So we put it in a new plastic bag, run a hot iron on it to seal it, put it in a box, wrap it up and put a wax seal on it. There is a strongbox in the criminal court, isn't there? Then we can keep it there," he said.

Foong said the panel could issue such an order, but stressed that it could slow down the proceedings as the private investigators that they intend to appoint tomorrow will need access to the strap and all the other evidence.

To this, Leong said he was only raising the Bar's concern over the integrity of the strap as evidence.

"Would you want to keep it, Mr Leong?" Foong retorted, getting chuckles from the gallery.

The 10th witness, Saiful Fazamil Mohd Ali, a science officer with the Chemistry Department, had earlier agreed that there were no visible signs of damage on the ends of the watch-strap.

Looking closely at the strap ends during cross-examination by Leong, he agreed that it would not be damaged if someone had used a tool to take out the pins attaching the strap to the missing watch.

Saiful, who examined the evidence collected by police, however could not say if the strap would be damaged if the watch was dislodged by high impact, such as falling from height.

"Not necessarily... It may get a bit damaged," he said.

The watch-strap was found near Teoh's body, which was discovered on the fifth floor landing of Plaza Masalam on July 16, 2009. The watch itself was never found.

The RCI has so far heard the testimony of 11 witnesses, including medical officer Saravanan Kanniappan, who was the photographer for Teoh's first post-mortem at the Tuanku Ampuan Rahmah hospital in Klang.

The inquiry continues tomorrow morning, with investigating officer ASP Ahmad Nazri Zainal expected to be called in as the 12th witness.