The death of Ewein Bhd chairman Ewe Swee Kheng (尤瑞庆) took many by surprise this week. His body was found on Tuesday (5th October) in a luxury condominium at Kelawei Road, Penang. The high-profile developer was known to be a witness in the Penang undersea tunnel case. However, according to reports, he had yet to be called to the stand.
With his death occurring at such a time, police are investigating his case for foul play. However, yesterday (6th October), his case was declared as a sudden death report. Police have confirmed there was no criminal element involved.
Security guards found his body in the condominium’s swimming pool at 5am that morning. When discovered, Ewe was still alive but badly injured. However, by the time the police arrived, he had passed away. According to Bernama, Ewe had been staying in the apartment with his wife and two kids on the 16th floor. Police believe he fell from the balcony of his apartment. This lines up with the autopsy report which showed that Ewe had passed away from “multiple injuries due to a fall from height”.
Police said that statements from the family were consistent with Ewe being his usual self before the incident. The wife did mention that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had summoned him to assist in a probe. However, he had not shown any distress afterwards. Police added that Ewe had no history of depression or mental illness nor found any suicide notes. A check on their CCTV showed no one entering or leaving Ewe’s apartment during that period. Additionally, the post-mortem had found no traces of alcohol or drugs in his system.
Based on the preliminary investigation, it has been concluded that no foul play was involved. However, they will continue investigating the case as sudden death report (SDR). Ewe’s family is currently satisfied with the investigation and have no protests.
Deputy state police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh has requested people to stop speculating about the death. However, he refused to openly state the victim’s identity. “All of you would have known the identity (of the victim) by now based on reports,” Fisol said. “Out of respect for the deceased’s family and in the name of ethics, it is not right for us to name the victim.”
MACC has confirmed that Ewe was a prosecution witness in the Penang undersea tunnel case. The case involves former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng who is currently on trial for it now.
We offer Ewe’s family our condolences and hopes he rests in peace. Watch the announcement here:
Sources: China Press (1)(2), New Straits Times
