A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer has admitted that he panicked when Teoh Beng Hock was found dead, but denied a suggestion that this was because he had “pushed” the DAP political aide out of a 14th-storey window in Plaza Masalam.

NONESelangor MACC investigation unit head Hairul Ilham Hamzah testified today that when he found out about Teoh’s (left) death about 2pm on July 16, 2009, he contacted his superior and deputy director Hishammuddin Hashim.

"He (Hishammuddin) told me and (colleague) Anuar (Ismail), to come to Putrajaya straightaway to explain what had happened,” Hairul said, continuing his testimony before the royal commission of inquiry (RCI)l.

"But Anuar (first) wanted to stop by his house in Puchong. When we got to the (MACC headquarters in) Putrajaya (and were in the car park, we received), another call from Hishammuddin. He ordered both of us to turn back to Shah Alam to have our statements recorded at the Section 11 district police headquarters.”

Teoh had been called in by the Selangor MACC a day earlier and questioned overnight over alleged misuse of Selangor government allocations by his employer and Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Hairul was overseeing a wider investigation into constituency allocations allegedly involving other assemblypersons.

Inquiry head Justice James Foong asked why Anuar had returned home, but Hairul said it did not strike him to ask why. He said he had waited in the car while Anuar went into his house.

Hairul said he thought Anuar may have wanted to inform his family about the situation, but said he was not sure as he had not asked Anuar to clarify his intention.

azlanCommissioner T Selventhiranathan: Why couldn't he use his handphone to call his wife or family?

Hairul: I can't answer on his behalf.

Selventhiranathan: You follow (TV series) Star Trek? Mr Spock, he is a Vulcan and he (usually) says 'it does not compute'. (Similarly), it is not logical (for you not to have asked why).

Hairul remained mum, and then went on to say that, upon getting to the police station, they had received another instruction to return to Plaza Masalam, where the Selangor MACC office is located on the 14th floor.

Fearing for Anuar's and his own safety, Hairul said he asked another officer, Khairul Anuar Alias, to pick them up from the police station.

Foong interjected to ask Hairul what was it that he feared.

Hairul: I felt I couldn't (provide answers) to questions from the public as to what had happened (to Teoh).

Foong: Why did you think you had to explain?

Hairul: The situation was already chaotic by then and I thought I was in danger.

Foong: Why didn't you just drive to the parking lot of Plaza Masalam and ask some officers to wait for you and escort you to your office?

Hairul: I didn't think of doing that.

Foong: I must say that your thinking is very unusual to me. Not logical.

‘I did not do that’

Hairul kept repeating that he could not recall the conversations between him and Anuar because he had "panicked".

This prompted Foong to ask if he had panicked because he was afraid he had made a "mistake".

Hairul: I don't know what my mistake was. I panicked, (that's why) I didn't know what to do.

Foong: Maybe you pushed him out (of the 14th floor window)

Hairul: Oh, that I did not do.

Foong querNONEied why Hishammuddin had not rushed to Plaza Masalam but had instead told Hairul and Anuar to go to Putrajaya.

"If I had a problem in my court and somebody dies. I would be rushing back to see what happened," said Foong, a Federal Court judge, mused.

“(And) if I was faced with a problem I would call the chief justice for instructions and go see him immediately, not make detours on my way there."

But Hairul stuck to his statement that he did not think of doing anything else that day.

Responding to questions from commissioner Mohamed Hatta Shaharom, he said Teoh was his first witness to die and his mind "went blank".

Mohamed Hatta asked if Hairul recalled the phone calls he received on the way to Putrajaya.

Hairul said he remembered receiving phone calls from Hishammuddin, but not from anyone else.

NONEAt one point, conducting officer Awang Amardajaya Awang Mahmud asked Hairul if he "regretted" not letting Teoh leave when Ean Yong (right) had come looking for him on the night of July 15.

"The notion is playing in my mind (now), but I couldn't do it earlier," he said.

Yesterday, Hairul had testified that Ean Yong had demanded Teoh’s release, but said the latter’s statement had yet to be recorded at the time.

Awang also wanted to know if the MACC would have released Teoh if he had requested to leave the premises.

"If Teoh had told us he was getting married the next day I would have allowed him to leave earlier and wouldn't have told to come in the next day," replied Hairul.

Pyshciatrist wants out

Earlier today, the Bar Council informed the RCI that forensics psychiatrist Dr Benjamin Chan has requested to pull out from interviewing Teoh's family.

The interview is to establish Teoh’s state of mind before his death.

Lawyer Christopher Leong said Chan did not give any reason for his decision.

"We are saddened by this news, and disappointed to a large extent," said Foong, but he suggested that a foreign expert be engaged as a replacement.