In a groundbreaking verdict, the Malaysian High Court has ruled that the government and police are responsible for the abduction of Pastor Raymond Koh, who has been missing for eight years. The court also awarded his family a record-breaking compensation of over 31 million ringgit (£5.7 million; $7.4 million), marking the largest damages payout in Malaysian legal history. The case has drawn national attention and raised significant questions about enforced disappearances in the country. Raymond Koh was forcibly taken from his car by masked men in a Kuala Lumpur suburb in 2017, an incident captured on CCTV and witnessed by passers-by. His family has long maintained that he was abducted by the police, a claim the authorities consistently denied. The court’s ruling on Wednesday declared that Koh had been forcibly disappeared, holding the government and police accountable. The judge also ordered the state to reopen the investigation to determine Koh’s whereabouts and imposed a daily compensation of 10,000 ringgit (£1,830; $2,385) from the day of his abduction until his location is disclosed. In an emotional statement, Koh’s wife, Susanna Liew, expressed gratitude for the verdict but emphasized that it does not bring her husband back. She dedicated the legal victory to Koh and all victims of enforced disappearances. The case is closely linked to the abduction of activist Amri Che Mat, whose wife, Norhayati, was awarded three million ringgit in a separate lawsuit. Both men’s disappearances occurred within months of each other in 2016 and 2017, sparking widespread public speculation. Investigations by Malaysia’s human rights commission and the government concluded that the abductions were likely carried out by the police’s elite Special Branch, targeting the men for their perceived threats to mainstream Islam. The government report, previously classified as secret, revealed that “rogue cops” with extreme views against Christians and Shia Muslims were responsible. Koh, a Christian pastor, was suspected of proselytizing to Muslims, while Che Mat, a Shia Muslim, was targeted for his religious affiliation. The court’s ruling has been hailed as a significant step toward accountability, though the families of the missing men continue to seek answers about their loved ones’ fates.