PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal granted leave on Thursday to Teoh Beng Hock's brother Teoh Meng Kee to seek a review of the coroner's open verdict on the late political aide's death.

In a unanimous decision, the three-man panel headed by Justice Datuk Sulaiman Daud said the court was satisfied that there was a question of law which could be pursued further for interpretation.

Justice Sulaiman allowed the application after hearing submissions by Gobind Singh and Deputy Public Prosecutor Abazafree Mohd Abbas, who appeared for the Attorney-General's Chambers. The panel, which also comprised Justices Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad and Datuk Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahim, also allowed two prayers sought by the family in the application.

The first is to allow the appellant to appeal against the Shah Alam High Court decision on Dec 1 last year which had rejected the review application on the finding of the open verdict of the Coroner's Court. The second is to file the notice of appeal within 14 days at the Court of Appeal once the leave is granted.

Teoh, the political secretary to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, Selangor, on July 16, 2009, after giving a statement at the office of the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission located on the 14th floor of the same building. He was 30 then.

On July 21 last year, a royal commission of inquiry headed by Federal Court Judge Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen established Teoh's death as a suicide.

Earlier, on Jan 5, Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas found that Teoh's death was neither a suicide nor a homicide and that no third party was involved in his death.

Meanwhile, when met outside the courtroom Thursday, Teoh's sister Lee Lan said the granting of the leave was "a start to regain justice for Beng Hock."

She also hoped that an open hearing would be held following the Court of Appeal's verdict.

Related Stories:
Cops take statement from Beng Hock's sister over report
High Court upholds coroner's open verdict on Teoh Beng Hock case
Teoh's case: High Court dismisses application to review RCI findings
Teoh's family files for judicial review of RCI's suicide finding

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