Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must also face an MACC probe if a video alleging he had ordered covert recordings of his Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) allies over the mining scandal is proven authentic, said a PKR veteran.
The party’s Pasir Gudang MP, Hassan Abdul Karim, stressed that if the legitimacy of the recording, which recently surfaced on social media, is verified, Anwar should not be afforded any protection from graft investigations.
“No immunity (should be made) available for any current prime minister from investigations involving any form of criminal offence, especially corruption or abuse of power,” the backbencher told Malaysiakini today.
Hassan (above) said this when commenting on the explosive video, which featured a conversation between businessperson Albert Tei and a woman whose face is blurred, but is said to be a proxy for Anwar’s former senior aide, Shamsul Iskandar Akin.
In the six-minute clip uploaded to the “Pejuang Tun Mahathir” Facebook page, the woman told Tei that the prime minister had given his blessings for the Sabah politicians to be secretly recorded.
According to the video timestamp, the recording was made last Friday.
DAP lawmaker Lim Lip Eng had previously dismissed the “doctored clip”, asserting that an “edited video… making vague allegations about a supposed plot involving the prime minister” is not “evidence of anything”.
However, Urimai chairperson P Ramasamy said that while it is unclear whether the recordings were made to be used against GRS leaders, Anwar cannot escape unscathed from the scandal.
“If Sabahans turn against the ruling coalition and its federal-aligned parties in the upcoming election, it may serve as a powerful reminder that corruption does not pay,” he said in a statement today.
‘Probe Azam too’
Besides Anwar, Hassan argued that MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki should also be subjected to corruption investigations, if claims that Shamsul had discussed Tei’s case with the nation’s top anti-graft officer, as detailed in a separate video released last night, are authentic.
The parliamentarian noted that while the video implicating Azam should still be regarded as “hearsay” for now, the graft-busting agency has a duty to probe the assertions made in the recording.
“If it is authentic, Azam must be probed. To avoid the perception of conflict of interest, Azam must be recused from any role in the investigation,” he highlighted.
Yesterday, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari called for the MACC and Azam to be recused from the probe on Shamsul, who is also the Malacca PKR chief.
Tei’s lawyer, Mahajoth Singh, has also urged Azam to resign or go on garden leave pending the appointment of an independent and truly impartial investigative body.
The demands were made after the release of a separate video, which depicted the same woman, alleged to be Shamsul’s proxy, claiming that the PKR leader had met with Azam at an undisclosed time to ask the MACC chief to “settle” the Sabah mining scandal case involving Tei.
Earlier today, the woman, now identified as Sofia Rini Buyong, denied being a proxy to Shamsul and stressed that she had never met Anwar regarding the allegations made by Tei.
While she admitted to meeting Tei, Sofia accused the whistleblower of spreading lies and slander against her.
Afford Shamsul ‘natural justice’
Commenting on Tei’s allegations that he had spent RM629,000 on Shamsul after being assured that he could recoup the money channelled to politicians in Sabah, Hassan said the former lawmaker should be afforded “natural justice” to defend himself.
“I believe the PKR disciplinary board has a duty to call Shamsul to answer (to) charges of tarnishing PKR’s image. Enough space must be given to Shamsul to explain (the allegations against him),” Hassan said.
Shamsul, who tendered his resignation as Anwar’s political secretary on Nov 25, has since lodged a police report against Tei, claiming that the slanderous accusations detailed in the video recordings are a clear and sinister conspiracy to tarnish Anwar’s image.
However, Shamsul did not mention whether his police complaint also targeted Tei’s assertions of having spent thousands of ringgit on him, with the funds allegedly having gone to renovations and furnishings for two properties, premium cigars, and tailored suits. - Mkini
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