‘Still alive’? Pamela Ling’s family questions police claim and staged abduction theory

KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — The family of Datin Seri Pamela Ling today welcomed the police’s assertion that she is ‘still alive’ after her disappearance a month ago while en route to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Putrajaya headquarters, but demanded to know the basis for this statement.

Speaking on behalf of the family, lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo also questioned the police’s statement today that it had not ruled out the possibility Ling had staged her own abduction.

“The suggestion that Pamela is ‘still alive’ is welcomed by her family especially, her teenage children — but what is that opinion based on?” Sangeet asked in a three-page statement released after a press conference by the Kuala Lumpur police.

Ling had been scheduled to appear at the MACC office on April 9 as a witness in a money laundering case, but disappeared after her ride via the e-hailing app Grab was intercepted by unidentified persons in several vehicles.

But Sangeet cautioned that the theory of Ling staging her own abduction requires a strong basis, particularly since Ling may have believed the individuals who intercepted her were police officers.

“Now, the suggestion that she may have staged her own disappearance, is this drawn from the claim that Pamela ‘entered the vehicle without struggle’? If this is the theory being pursued, it is hoped that there are compelling reasons for advancing it,” she said.

“Otherwise, it risks being nothing more than a distraction from a clear lack of progress in investigations,” Sangeet added.

“If Pamela was approached by individuals she believed to be police officers, her compliance is not only understandable, it is entirely expected. Even the Grab driver, a stranger to her, handed over his identification card and driver’s licence, without hesitation,” Sangeet stated.

She argued Ling’s compliance with what she likely perceived as lawful authority should not be distorted to imply complicity in her own disappearance.

Sangeet also asserted that the update provided by the police was merely ‘recycled information,’ stating: “In truth, there is nothing new.”

“The CCTV footage and cloned vehicle findings were already made public a few days ago. Now we’re told five cloned vehicles were involved — some blocking them and some blocking traffic. Were there no security guards, road users or other witnesses around?” she asked.

Sangeet also pointed out that police initially said there were no leads in the early days of Ling’s disappearance, yet the public is now being told, three weeks later, that new leads are found daily but cannot be disclosed.

“Why did it take three weeks and a public outcry, for ‘leads to now be discovered everyday’? Should this not have been uncovered in the critical early stages? What exactly was done — or not done — when time was of the essence?” she questioned.

“We support the need for a thorough investigation. But what the public is seeing now increasingly resembles deflection rather than direction. A full month has passed with no real answers and no sense of urgency,” Sangeet said.

“The family — who continue to receive no official updates beyond what is reported in the media — have every reason to question the seriousness of this investigation,” she concluded.

The family of Datin Seri Pamela Ling today welcomed the police’s assertion that she is ‘still alive’ after her disappearance a month ago while en route to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Putrajaya headquarters, but demanded to know the basis for this statement.

Earlier in the same statement today, Sangeet also questioned MACC’s statement yesterday and the anti-corruption investigative body’s actions regarding Ling’s case.

MACC yesterday released a chronology of events in Ling’s case after corruption and money laundering investigations on her and her husband began in May last year, including Ling’s release on MACC bail on January 11 after a three-day remand.

Since MACC had directed Ling to appear at the MACC headquarters on April 9, her failure to do so would normally be seen as a breach of bail conditions and would usually result in an arrest warrant, Sangeet said.

Sangeet questioned if MACC had applied for a warrant of arrest to be issued when Ling failed to show up on April 9, and said MACC should explain if it had not taken this usual step.

“If it did not, was the MACC indifferent to her sudden disappearance — or worse, not surprised by it?” she asked.

Sangeet said MACC had not denied Ling’s family’s remarks that she had appeared at the MACC at least nine times to record her statement, asking: “What was the necessity for repeated statements to be taken? Also, was she a witness or a suspect?”

In its statement yesterday, MACC said it had taken all the necessary steps in relation to Ling’s case and denied any alleged harassment or misconduct, also adding that it has provided full cooperation to the police who are now leading the investigation on her disappearance.