KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 28): Businessman and whistleblower Albert Tei Jiann Cheing was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after officers raided his home in Puchong on Friday morning, according to his lawyer.
Lawyer Zaid Malek accused the enforcement authorities of acting in a “high-handed and unlawful" manner during his client’s arrest, alleging multiple breaches of constitutional rights, including denial of counsel.
"The MACC today made a forced entry into Albert Tei’s house and arrested him... when I arrived at his house and asked to meet with my client, the MACC officers and the police officers refused entry to the house or to meet my client," Zaid said in a statement.
The lawyer added that the MACC and police personnel at the scene refused to allow him entry to meet his client despite his presence at the property, and none of the officers identified themselves when approached.
Zaid claimed the officers only acknowledged him after he began documenting the incident. “They only spoke to me after I took pictures of the incident, illegally asking to take my phone and see the photos I took.”
The lawyer said Tei was subsequently escorted out in handcuffs, surrounded by armed personnel dressed in balaclavas.
“It was as if they were arresting a terrorist. The officers refused to identify themselves or state where Albert was being brought to. I do not even know for sure if they are police or MACC officers.”
However, Malaysiakini quoted Mahajoth Singh, another lawyer for Tei, as saying that the MACC team had a warrant to conduct the raid.
Zaid stressed that the conduct of the authorities amounted to a violation of Tei’s constitutional rights, including the right to due process and immediate access to legal counsel.
He also questioned why action was taken against a whistleblower rather than the individual he had reported.
“It is shocking that a whistleblower or corruption informant is being arrested. No such action has been taken against the person he informed against, the PM’s former political secretary [Datuk Seri] Shamsul Iskandar [Mohd Akin].”
The raid comes a day after a woman identified as Sofia Rini Buyong was summoned to give statements related to an investigation involving Shamsul.
Tei — who is currently on trial for two counts of giving bribes linked to the Sabah mining scandal — recently appeared in a video with a woman alleged to be Sofia. In the clip, the woman purportedly claimed to act as a proxy for Shamsul and said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had authorised Tei to record discussions with Sabah politicians regarding mineral exploration licences.
On Tuesday, Malaysiakini reported that Tei had allegedly spent RM629,000 on Shamsul, including property renovations, premium cigars and custom-made suits. He also shared screenshots of WhatsApp conversations allegedly showing Shamsul requesting foreign currency before overseas trips.
Shamsul had announced his resignation as Anwar’s political secretary before the article on Malaysiakini was published.
The MACC has yet to issue an official response regarding the allegations raised in Zaid’s statement.
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