Bukit Aman questions Tei over alleged claims against Azam Baki.
Businessperson Albert Tei has challenged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to lodge a police report to deny allegations in a viral video linking him to the Sabah mining scandal, following a complaint by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against Tei over remarks involving its chief, Azam Baki.
Tei was questioned at Bukit Aman today after an MACC officer lodged a police report on Nov 27 over a video clip circulating on social media that contained allegations against Azam. He arrived at about 10.44am accompanied by his lawyers, N Surendran and Mahajoth Singh, and completed the statement-recording process at about 12.40pm.
Speaking outside Bukit Aman, Tei noted that Anwar had yet to respond publicly to allegations raised in the video, which surfaced in November last year and led to Anwar’s then political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, being charged in court.
“In the video with Sofia Rini (Buyong), it wasn’t me who accused Azam. She was the one who accused Azam,” Tei said.
“(She was the one who said) that Shamsul met Azam. (And) Azam was the one who gave protection and preferential treatment to Shamsul because Anwar was involved,” he added.
Tei also pointed out that despite Azam being central to the allegations made by Sofia, no investigation has been initiated against the MACC chief.
His lawyer, Mahajoth, questioned what he described as contradictory positions taken by the authorities, noting that Sofia is regarded by the MACC as a key witness in the corruption case against Shamsul, while the police are investigating her claims about Azam as slander.
“I think it’s a very interesting and very serious thing that now the government has to answer,” he said.
“You cannot, on one hand, say Sofia is a crown witness and, on the other hand, say that whatever she said (on Azam) is slander. It’s beyond logic, beyond common sense, because it’s the same person,” he added.
Tei was summoned to assist investigations into a police report concerning the video, in which Sofia, who is accused of being Shamsul’s proxy, allegedly told Tei that Shamsul had asked Azam to “ease his case”. In another part of the recording, when Tei asked whether Shamsul told Azam that the Sabah scandal recordings were “PMX’s orders”, Sofia replied: “Azam knows.”
Sofia has since denied being Shamsul’s proxy. While she admitted meeting Tei on Nov 5 last year, she accused him of spreading lies about her.
Surendran said the questioning was conducted under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act and Section 500 of the Penal Code. Section 233 relates to the improper use of network facilities, while Section 500 concerns criminal defamation.
He criticised the use of criminal defamation laws, arguing that government officials who believe they have been defamed should pursue civil suits instead of relying on police investigations.
“Why is it that if it’s a top government official, or let’s say a minister, they don’t need to use civil defamation. They can just ask the police to investigate,” he said.
“Is that how it works now in this country? In other words, this is wrong,” he added.
Surendran also criticised Bukit Aman for inefficiency, claiming it took 45 minutes for his team to obtain entry passes due to procedures such as recording identity card details and the use of QR codes. He said the group had to walk long distances within the complex without shuttle services.
“This is a very serious matter because this is Bukit Aman. This is the headquarters of the police in this country,” he said.
“If the efficiency is at this level here, can you imagine in other places?” he added, calling on Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to explain.
Tei emerged as a central figure in the Sabah mining scandal after releasing a series of leaked videos in November 2024 that implicated more than 15 Sabah politicians and state leaders in alleged corruption.
On Dec 4 last year, Tei was charged with giving bribes to Shamsul, while Shamsul was charged with receiving bribes from the businessperson. Shamsul is accused of accepting RM176,830 in kickbacks during his tenure as Anwar’s political secretary to assist Tei’s companies in obtaining mineral mining licences in Sabah. Both were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Dec 4 and the Shah Alam Sessions Court on Dec 5.