Husband of missing Malaysian corruption probe witness Pamela Ling arrested
Thomas Hah Tiing Siu, a Sarawakian businessman, and his wife are under investigation as part of a corruption and money laundering inquiry
Malaysian police have arrested the husband of Pamela Ling, the woman who was abducted in broad daylight by people in police uniform last month while on her way to give evidence to the country’s anti-corruption body.
Thomas Hah Tiing Siu, 54, and his wife – both Malaysians – have been under a year-long corruption and money laundering inquiry by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC).
Hah, a prominent Sarawakian businessman, has been involved in a controversial land deal in neighbouring Sabah, according to news reports.
Ling disappeared on April 9, while en route to the MACC headquarters, when two men in police vests and a woman in uniform stopped her while she was in a Grab car and forced her into their vehicle.
She has not been heard from since despite an appeal by Malaysian authorities to Interpol.
Hah was arrested on Thursday morning, according to Kuala Lumpur police chief Rusdi Mohd Isa. He said that the businessman was taken to the Putrajaya court for remand but did not disclose the nature of the arrest.
“We are still investigating the matter further,” Rusdi said.
The arrest came a day after the police confirmed that they were actively looking into a possibility that Hah played a role in the disappearance of his wife. The couple were reportedly going through a divorce according to a court affidavit filed by Ling two days before her disappearance.
Ling has sought a divorce in the courts in Singapore, where she and the couple’s three children, 20-year-old and 18-year-old twins reside. Hah is seeking a divorce in Malaysian courts.
The police have investigated 27 people including the driver of the e-hailing ride from which Ling was abducted, as well as seeking assistance from Interpol to interview the couple’s children in Singapore as part of their investigation.
The case had put Malaysian authorities, particularly the MACC, under scrutiny with the public accusing them of not doing enough to protect Ling, who remained a witness in their investigation.
On Tuesday, rights group Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), said that aside from finding Ling, there should be an examination of the lapses by the agencies involved in ensuring her safety.
Her disappearance “signals a profound breakdown in the duty of care owed by the state to every woman who engages with its institutions,” WAO’s executive director Nazreen Nizam said.
