Bukit Aman's former legal unit chief Mokhtar Mohd Noor (above) has withdrawn from the special task force to probe the disappearances of pastor Raymond Koh and Perlis activist Amri Che Mat.

The Home Ministry confirmed in a statement today that he had withdrawn and a replacement would be announced shortly.

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin came under fire when announcing Mokhtar's appointment, with his neutrality called into question by Koh’s family. 

He had said that during the Suhakam hearing into their disappearances, Mokhtar had attended only one session and was not directly involved in it. 

“I am confident it (his inclusion) will not compromise the task force. I was informed that he (Mokhtar) was involved in only one session during the (Suhakam) hearing," Muhyiddin said last Friday.

Last Wednesday, it was announced that retired High Court judge Abdul Rahim Uda will lead a six-man special task force to investigate Koh and Amri’s disappearances. 

In addition to Mokhtar, the rest of the task force members are Zamri Yahya, who is Bukit Aman's Integrity and Standard Compliance Department director, Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (EAIC)) operations director Muhammad Bukhari Abdul Hamid, legal officer at the Public Prosecution Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers Mohd Sophian Zakaria and Mohd Russaini Idrus, secretary at the Police Force Commission (SPP) for the Home Affairs Ministry.

Suhakam on April 3 released its report after an 18-month inquiry into a series of missing person cases.

The report made the conclusion that the police’s Special Branch was involved in the “enforced disappearances” of Koh and Amri and following this, the cabinet, in May, agreed for a special task to be formed to investigate Suhakam’s findings.

Koh, 64, was abducted by a group of masked men while driving in Kelana Jaya, Selangor on Feb 13, 2017, while Amri, 44, a co-founder of Perlis Hope Welfare Association, disappeared on Nov 24, 2016.