Whistleblower-businessman Albert Tei, who exposed the Sabah mineral prospecting licence scandal, is urging the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to act swiftly against Arifin Arif, the son-in-law of Sabah governor Musa Aman.
On 6 February, Tei lodged a police report against Arifin for allegedly filing a false report. This came a day after Arifin’s own report on 5 February, in which he claimed a Malaysiakini article dated 3 February was inaccurate, misleading and defamatory. The article detailed an alleged settlement offer Arifin made to silence Tei.
Tei alleged that Arifin had offered to reinstate his mineral exploration licences if he retracted bribery allegations, with a prepared media statement framing the payments as political donations.
Tei’s lawyer, Mahajoth Singh, said his client has faced unnecessary delays. “As is common knowledge, my client lodged a police report on 6 February concerning a false police report by Arifin. Since then, he has been compelled to repeatedly seek updates from the authorities and, in the absence of progress, was forced to escalate the matter to the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC). Such steps should never have been necessary for a citizen who has acted responsibly in fulfilling his civic duty,” he said.
Mahajoth revealed that a letter dated 7 August from the Dang Wangi district police headquarters’ Criminal Investigation Department confirmed investigations were completed and papers submitted to the deputy public prosecutor on 5 August.
“The ball is now in the AGC’s court. While we acknowledge the AGC requires time to review the papers and make a decision, it has already been six months since my client’s police report was lodged. It is absurd that a complainant should have to wait this long for justice, and it would be wholly unacceptable for the matter to be left unresolved for yet another prolonged period. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done,” Mahajoth stressed.
He added that Tei remains ready to cooperate fully but expects the AGC to act urgently “in the interest of fairness, transparency, and public confidence in the rule of law”.
Last November, Malaysiakini exposed an alleged corruption scandal involving mineral prospecting licences through leaked videos. So far, only two lawmakers and Tei himself have been charged. The videos also appeared to implicate Chief Minister and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairperson Hajiji Noor, along with several state ministers and assemblypersons, all of whom have denied receiving bribes.