“Why weren’t [Datuk Seri] Najib Razak, [Tan Sri] Muhyiddin Yassin and [Datuk Seri] Ismail Sabri Yaakob in orange T-shirts when they were caught? Was there a double standard?”
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Businessman Albert Tei Jiann Cheing has initiated legal proceedings against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), its chief Tan Sri Azam Baki and the government, challenging the requirement for suspects to wear the ‘famed’ orange MACC T-shirts during detention.
The originating summons filed by Tei’s lawyers Messrs Abd Halim Ushah & Associates stated that they are seeking the court to declare that the action of compelling detained suspects to wear the T-shirts is unconstitutional and a contravention of Article 5(1) and Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution.
Tei is also seeking damages for the time he was detained by the MACC, from Nov 28 to Dec 4, 2025, when he was required to wear the orange T-shirt during the bribery investigation.
At a press conference at the court on Thursday, Tei criticised the MACC, saying high-profile individuals were not required to wear such clothes when detained.
“Why weren’t [Datuk Seri] Najib Razak, [Tan Sri] Muhyiddin Yassin and [Datuk Seri] Ismail Sabri Yaakob in orange T-shirts when they were caught?
“Was there a double standard?” he told reporters, referring to the former prime ministers.
In his affidavit of support of the originating summons, Tei said that when he was arrested on Nov 28 and taken to the MACC headquarters, he was ordered to remove his civilian clothing and to wear an orange detention T-shirt with the word "LOKAP SPRM" emblazoned upon it.
He was also compelled to wear the same attire the next day, when he was brought to the court for a remand hearing.
“At the material time, a large number of the members of the press, press photographers and other unidentified members of the public were present.
“Numerous photographs were taken and video recordings were made of me wearing the said attire, thereby exposing me to public view in a manner that conveyed an appearance of guilt notwithstanding that I had not been convicted of any offence at the material period,” he said.
Tei said that he was “humiliated and embarrassed and suffered extreme mental distress as a consequence”.
He said this was contrary to the presumption of innocence as enshrined in Article 5(1) of the Federal Constitution.
He added that it was “arbitrary, excessive and disproportionate and contrary to equality before the law, therefore infringing Article 8(1) of the Federal Constitution”.
Tei was charged with five corruption offences for allegedly offering bribes totalling well over RM176,000 to Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin — who has stepped down from his role serving Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as a political secretary — for Sabah mineral licence approvals.
Shamsul in turn was charged with five counts of receiving said bribes.
The charges include cash and goods — such as furniture and electrical appliances — allegedly given between November 2023 and March 2024.
Both men are out on bail with conditions including passport surrender and regular reporting to anti-corruption authorities.