A High Court justice condemned the police handling of Ivana Smit’s case as a ‘profound failure’ and awarded the family 1.1 million ringgit
Justice Roz Mawar Rozain, delivering her decision on Tuesday, condemned the handling of the case as a “profound failure of Malaysia’s law enforcement system”.
The court found that police breached their duty of care while investigating the circumstances surrounding Smit’s death.
Justice Roz Mawar cited a litany of failings, including the premature classification of the case, mishandling of the crime scene, failures in preserving evidence and inadequate treatment of witnesses and suspects. She also noted the neglect of foreign evidence and the dismissal of expert testimony.
“These are simple and clear pieces that corroborate my finding that there were breaches of the duty of care,” she said.
