Govt withdraws appeal over Pastor Koh’s classified report

PUTRAJAYA: The government has withdrawn its appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision to grant Pastor Raymond Koh’s family access to a classified report.

Senior Federal Counsel Nurul Farhana Khalid informed a three-member bench, led by Justice Supang Lian, along with Justices Ismail Brahim and K. Muniandy, of the decision on Wednesday (April 1).

She said the withdrawal followed the recent filing of a notice of discontinuance.

The court subsequently struck out the appeal and awarded RM15,000 in costs to Koh’s family.

Earlier, Nurul Farhana had appealed to the court to waive costs.

However, lawyer Michelle Wong opposed the request, arguing that considerable effort had been expended in responding to the appeal.

Hence, she requested RM15,000 in costs, highlighting that an application to adduce fresh evidence had been filed last month.

On Nov 5 last year, High Court Judge Su Tiang Joo ruled that the police and the government were liable for Koh’s disappearance and ordered the payment of more than RM37 million in damages.

This judgment was immediately contested when the Attorney-General’s Chambers filed a notice of appeal the following day.

The suit was filed by Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew Sow Yoke, against the police and the government over her husband’s disappearance and the authorities’ handling of the investigation.

Koh was reported to have been abducted by a group of masked men while driving in Kelana Jaya on Feb 13, 2017.