The relatives of Dutch model Ivana Smit have won a civil lawsuit against the Malaysian government. The court ruled that the Malaysian police’s investigation into her death was seriously flawed and conducted negligently.
Victim advocate Sébas Diekstra speaks of “a historic and courageous ruling” on X. “Police and government have been held liable for gross negligence, dereliction of duty and ignoring basic investigation standards.”
The judge ruled that the Malaysian government must pay compensation of more than 224,000 euros to the relatives. According to the judge, the police investigation leader “arbitrarily classified Smit’s death as suicide” despite possible indications of murder, Malaysian media write.
Eighteen-year-old Smit was found dead at the bottom of an apartment building in Malaysia in 2017. She was visiting an American couple there. According to the police, she had fallen and the fall was an accident. But Smit’s family did not trust that reading.
A Dutch pathologist concluded after an examination of Smit’s body that she must have died before the fall. Lawyer Diekstra also stated that she was sexually abused.
Malaysia opened a new investigation into Smit’s death. A judge ruled that there was no crime and that there would be no criminal case. That ruling was later overturned by the Supreme Court. A new investigation is now underway involving Interpol.