The whistleblower who exposed the Sabah corruption scandal will be charged on 30 June—a move his lawyer has described as “shocking and disappointing.”
“At this juncture, I must make clear that without my client, the entire Sabah corruption scandal would not have even been investigated by MACC.
“My client’s disclosures, at serious personal risk, have greatly benefited the public interest.
“It is shocking and disappointing that my client is to be ‘rewarded’ with being charged with a criminal offence,” said lawyer Mahajoth Singh in a statement.
Mahajoth stated that he and his client were informed of the decision to charge him upon their arrival at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya earlier today. According to the lawyer, the officers said they had received “instructions from above.”
Despite the move to prosecute him, the whistleblower—a 36-year-old businessperson identified as Albert—remains resolute. He was arrested at the MACC office and later released on RM10,000 bail.
Mahajoth also revealed that an MACC officer informed him he would be made a witness in the case.
“I was told I would be made a witness, despite merely being a lawyer carrying out his duties. I then requested that a proper notice be served on me—otherwise, it would be completely unlawful and amount to a clear act of intimidation.
“Eventually, I was informed that I would not, after all, be made a witness,” he added.
Albert had submitted videos, documents, and WhatsApp message screenshots to the MACC, allegedly implicating several assemblypersons in a mining scandal. He claimed he had paid bribes to the assemblypersons in exchange for mineral exploration licences.
Earlier, it was reported that the MACC has arrested two individuals with the title ‘Datuk’ on suspicion of soliciting and receiving RM200,000 in bribes related to mining licence applications in Sabah.
The suspects—a businessman in his 30s and an assemblyman in his 60s—were detained on Wednesday (18 June) after presenting themselves to give statements at the Sabah MACC office in Kota Kinabalu and the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya, at 9.45am and 11.50am respectively.
The two suspects, a businessman and an assemblyman, are believed to have committed the offences between 2023 and 2024.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed the arrests, stating that the case is being investigated under Section 16(b)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.
He added that the businessman was released on bail of RM100,000, with a RM10,000 deposit and two sureties, while the assemblyman was released on bail of RM50,000 with one surety.