A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer admitted today that he had a role in drafting Teoh Beng Hock's statement in its investigation into the misuse of state funds.

Enforcement officer Mohd Nazri Ibrahim in his testimony before the royal commission of inquiry investigating the political aide's death conceded to suggestions that he had "put words" into Teoh's statement to the anti-graft agency two years ago.

Teoh was taken in as a witness by the Selangor MACC located on the 14th floor of Plaza Masalam on July 15, 2009, to help in its probe into allegations that his employer, Seri Kembangan assemblyperson Ean Yong Hian Wah, had  allegedly swindled state funds.

His body was discovered sprawled on the fifth floor service corridor of the same building the next day and an 18-month long coroner's inquest into Teoh's death returned an open verdict.

The royal commission was established late January to find out how Teoh died and pinpoint any misdemeanour on the part of the MACC in terms of investigation procedures and human rights violations.

NONE Conducting officer Awang Amardajaya Awang Mahmud, who is assisting the commission, questioned Nazri ( left ) on the style in which Teoh's statement was taken.

The officer, who was with Teoh from 1.30am to 3.30am on July 16, said the statement was recorded in a narrative manner.

"Teoh gave short answers (when any question was asked)," he said, adding that these were monosyllables most of time.

This prompted Awang Amardajaya to point out that in the witness statement, Teoh's answers were in complete paragraphs and some paragraphs contained five to six facts.

Awang Amardajaya, who is also a deputy public prosecutor, then pointed out to Nazri that he must have asked more than one question for each paragraph, and the latter agreed.

Commissioner T Selventhiranathan asked if the "words in Teoh's statement belonged" to Nazri, to which he replied "yes".

Selventhiranathan: The passage did not from come out of his mouth, yes?

Nazri: Yes.

Selventhiranathan:

The words you put into his mouth?

Nazri: Yes, but Teoh agreed.

The officer, who was typing out Teoh's witness statement based on two "suspicious-looking" invoices, explained that he also copied and pasted several words from the documents into the statement.

"I will edit it and then show it to Teoh for him to check," Nazri said.

Occasionally, Teoh would give "long answers", but there were no sentences in the statement that were "100 percent" from Teoh, Nazri confessed.

He recounted that Teoh looked "sullen" and "anxious", but agreed to provide the statement and that he "wanted to get over with it" that very night.

'Teoh's statement not voluntary'

Earlier in the day, Nazri admitted that Teoh's statement to the anti-graft agency two years ago was "not voluntary".

He told the panel that Teoh's witness statement was taken under Section 30(3)(b) of the MACC Act.

The provision requires a witness to divulge everything in his knowledge truthfully, said Nazri, and explained that he read out the provision to Teoh.

NONE However, he said, he did not tell Teoh about the consequences if the statement was inaccurate or false.

Inquiry panel head Justice James Foong ( right ) pointed out that Teoh's statement "looked as if it was recorded voluntarily".

At earlier hearings, MACC officers Hairul Ilham Hamzah and his subordinate Arman Alies had insisted that Teoh was "never interrogated, but only interviewed as a witness".

During the cross-examination today, Nazri said he could not recall his line of questioning and did not remember if he saw other officers in the MACC office in the wee hours of July 16.

Foong also needled Nazri when he said he could not remember specific details from that night.

"As an MACC officer, aren't you supposed to be observant? You are a graduate and in MACC as an investigator," he asked, to which Nazri kept silent.

"This one you don't remember, that one you don't remember... why are you in the MACC? Good salary? What's the reason?"

The officer replied that he got the job after he passed the interview.

"You had no passion to join to the force? Everything don't remember, how to get promotion? Your career is at stake here," said the chief commissioner, but Nazri  kept mum.

"Why do I have to lecture all the time? This is frustrating," said Foong, causing laughter in the the gallery, made up mostly of reporters.

The inquiry resumes on Monday, with MACC deputy commissioner Mohd Shukri Abdull on the stand.