Final settlements on Pastor Koh, Amri Che Mat subject to appellate court decision - minister

THE government has stressed that any further action, including settlement offers, formal apologies or compensation payments in the cases involving Pastor Raymond Koh and activist Amri Che Mat, will be determined entirely by the Court of Appeal.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the matter is currently under appeal, and the government will abide by the court’s eventual decision.

He was responding in a written parliamentary reply to Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng regarding government positions on compensation, apologies and related legal resolutions involving the cases of Teoh Beng Hock, Raymond Koh and Amri Che Mat.

Saifuddin said the High Court had on November 5, 2025 ordered the government to pay RM37 million in compensation to Koh and his wife, Susanna Liew, calculated at RM10,000 per day from the date of his disappearance on February 13, 2017, along with damages and legal costs.

However, he noted that on January 26 this year, the High Court allowed the government’s application to stay the payment pending appeal proceedings at the Court of Appeal, with hearings set for November 30.

For the case of Amri Che Mat, Saifuddin said the High Court had also on November 5, 2025 ordered the government to pay RM3.3 million in compensation, plus costs and interest, to his wife, Norhayati Mohd Ariffin.

He said a stay of payment was granted on March 11 while the appeal process is ongoing, with the same hearing date of November 30 set at the Court of Appeal.

Saifuddin also referred to the case of the late Teoh Beng Hock, noting that the government had previously paid RM600,000 in compensation to the family, along with RM60,000 in legal costs, as part of a full and final settlement reached in May 2015.

He added that former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki had issued a public apology to the family on July 16, 2025, expressing sympathy and acknowledging their suffering.

Saifuddin said the ministry remains committed to upholding the rule of law, transparency and respect for judicial processes, while ensuring that enforcement agencies continue to operate with integrity under existing legal provisions. - July 3, 2026