Malaysian pastor Raymond Koh was abducted on Feb 13, 2017 in broad daylight while driving along Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
06 Nov 2025 04:45PM (Updated: 06 Nov 2025 05:06PM)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Attorney-General’s Chamber (AGC) is appealing against a ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court which had ordered the government to pay over RM37 million (US$8.8 million) in damages for the high-profile disappearance of a pastor eight years ago.
“After reviewing and considering the High Court’s decision, this department will file an appeal to the Court of Appeal against the entire ruling,” the AGC said in a statement on Thursday (Nov 6).
Raymond Koh was abducted on Feb 13, 2017 in broad daylight while driving along Petaling Jaya in Selangor, with closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing at least 15 men in tactical gear using three black sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to carry out the abduction within 40 seconds, according to The Edge.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Wednesday found the police and government responsible for Koh’s disappearance and ordered the government to pay RM10,000 for each day of his disappearance until he is found, which amounted to over RM31.8 million as of Wednesday’s ruling. The whereabouts of 62-year-old Koh remain unknown until today.
High Court Judge Su Tiang Joo, however, ordered the amount to be held in a trust fund which cannot be disbursed to Koh’s wife and children until his whereabouts are “ascertained”, reported Free Malaysia Today.
In addition to the daily payments, Su also granted RM4 million in general damages, RM1 million in aggravated damages for the prolonged delay in locating Koh and a further RM1 million for the constitutional violations committed against him by the defendants, reported online portal Malaysiakini.
In total, the total damages exceed RM37 million, reported local media.
According to BBC, the ruling on Wednesday that held the government and police responsible for Koh’s abduction is Malaysia’s first such judgement, with the final sum set to be the largest in the country’s legal history.
In his verdict, Su ruled that one or more police personnel – both former and current – were involved in Koh’s abduction and had acted “oppressively and arbitrarily”, misusing their public power in the incident, reported Malay Mail.
“The court is satisfied that the plaintiffs have proven that (the defendants) had exercised public power in bad faith. The enforced disappearance of Koh collectively constitutes oppression of the highest order,” Su was quoted as saying by The Edge.
The court also found that the federal government had breached its statutory duty by failing to properly investigate Koh’s disappearance and instead engaged in suppression of evidence and investigative misdirection.
“The concealment of information and misdirection of inquiries suggest the involvement of individuals with direct knowledge seeking to protect those involved,” Su said.
In justifying the sum awarded, Su stressed: “The RM10,000 is not a figure I plucked from the air. It was a figure that was given by the Court of Appeal involving false imprisonment at RM10,000 per day as given for deprivation of personal liberty under the Federal Constitution.”
Malay Mail, in its report, noted that Su had acknowledged the irony in awarding such large sums. The judge had said that the higher the damages awarded, the more public funds would ultimately be used to pay for the wrongdoings of government servants.
“It offends the concept of fairness, reasonableness and justice,” he said.
Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, dedicated the verdict to her missing husband and others in a similar boat.
“We dedicate this struggle and judgement to Pastor Raymond Koh, a man of compassion and courage, and to all victims of enforced disappearances,” she said, according to BBC.
WHO IS RAYMOND KOH?
During the trial, the court was told that five masked men in black military-style outfits had pulled Koh out of his car on the day of his disappearance, local media reported.
Liew filed a lawsuit in 2020, just before the three-year limitation period expired, after years of unsuccessful efforts to obtain answers from the authorities.
Reading out his hour-long ruling, Su said the defendants’ claim – that the coordination seen in the CCTV footage of Koh’s abduction did not indicate state involvement – was untenable.
“The CCTV disclosed the perpetrators acted in a concerted manner. Such execution implies pre-planning and logistical preparation,” Su was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
The judge on Wednesday also directed the police to reopen investigations, remove the original investigators from the case, and to submit progress reports to the AGC every two months.
He said the compensation amount was justified, as government officials had used state resources and mechanisms accessible only to the police.
Koh, the founder of non-governmental organisation Harapan Komuniti, was known for his community work, especially for helping single mothers, providing tuition for children, assisting those struggling with addiction and providing support to HIV patients.
Before his disappearance, Koh had been investigated by local Islamic authorities over allegations of proselytising Muslims, which is illegal in Malaysia.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), following a public inquiry, had concluded in April 2019 that Koh was a victim of enforced disappearance carried out by state agents and named the Special Branch of the Royal Malaysian Police.
Koh’s case has also been linked to the disappearance of activist Amri Che Mat in 2016.
The High Court on Wednesday had also ordered the government and police to pay more than RM3 million in compensation to Amri’s family for failing to undertake a proper investigation into the activist’s case.
Like Koh, Amri had come under scrutiny of the Special Branch over allegations that he was involved in the propagation of Shi’ism through his non-profit organisation, local media reported.
In a separate statement on Thursday, the AGC said that it will also appeal the ruling in connection to Amri’s case.
Both cases have drawn local and international criticism, including by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, after the public inquiries in 2019 concluded that both Koh and Amri were victims of enforced disappearance carried out by state agents.
Su on Wednesday said that Koh’s abduction bore similarities to Amri’s disappearance which occurred three months earlier, involving a gold Toyota Vios registered to a Special Branch officer.
“This is not random violence. This fact drives the court to hold that it is an organised unit (that) abducted Koh,” he said, reported Malay Mail.
In June 2019, the Malaysian government had formed a special task force to investigate the enforced disappearances, which identified Saiful Bahari Abd Aziz, a contract worker linked to the Bukit Aman’s Special Branch, as a key suspect.
The gold Toyota Vios, registered under Saiful’s name, was reportedly seen near Koh’s abduction site and was also involved in Amri’s disappearance, according to the New Straits TImes (NST).
“Once state responsibility is established, damages must follow,” Su said, adding that the state remains accountable regardless of whether the perpetrators have been identified.
‘NO AMOUNT OF MONEY WILL EVER BRING MY HUSBAND BACK’
In a press conference after the verdict on Wednesday, Koh’s wife Liew said the court’s decision had brought long-awaited closure for the family after almost nine years of anguish and uncertainty.
“The High Court has delivered a judgment on what we have long believed: that Pastor Raymond Koh was a victim of a grave injustice,” she said.
While welcoming the High Court’s decision, Liew expressed hopes that those responsible for her husband’s disappearance will face the full force of law.
“I have mixed feelings. I am very happy with the judgement, but money does not compensate for a life,” she told NST on Wednesday.
“No amount of money will ever bring my husband back.”
Liew recalled that her husband often received death threats over allegations of converting Muslims to Christianity, including threats delivered in the most chilling manner, reported NST.
“They put bullets in a matchbox wrapped in a plastic bag, and left it in our mailbox. They knew where we lived,” she said.
Separately, Norhayati Mohd Arifin – who is the wife of Amri – said that she too longs for closure.
Amri was last seen on Nov 24, 2016 and his car was later found abandoned at a construction site in Bukit Chabang, Kangar in Perlis with three of its windows smashed.
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