Several NGOs have urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to instruct MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki to go on garden leave after the latter was implicated by businessperson Albert Tei in a corruption scandal.
They also decried the high-handed measures used by MACC officers to arrest Tei yesterday, adding that it has damaged public trust in the agency, pointing out how the agency has taken softer measures to probe others implicated in the scandal.
“If Tei’s allegation is credible enough to warrant the arrest of the prime minister’s former senior political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, how can his allegation implicating Azam (above) be ignored?
“If Anwar wants to debunk accusations of him weaponising MACC against his political rivals, the least he must do is to put Azam on garden leave until his name is cleared,” the groups said in a joint statement today.
The signatories of the statement were Projek Sama, Bersih, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), and Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas).
On Nov 25, Tei implicated Shamsul in the Sabah mining scandal, alleging that he spent RM629,000 on the Malacca PKR chief after being purportedly assured that he could recoup the money he channelled to politicians in Sabah.
Tei claimed he was introduced to Shamsul by Sofia Rini Buyong, whom he said was the political aide’s proxy. Their first meeting took place on Nov 8, 2023, at about 10pm at the Jesselton Cigaro cigar lounge in Kota Kinabalu.
He also claimed to possess evidence substantiating that Sofia had acted on behalf of Shamsul.
Tei’s arrest and police report
Yesterday, MACC officers arrested Tei at his residence, prompting his wife, Lee Pei Rie, to lodge a police report on the manner her husband was arrested.
She claimed the officers had pointed a gun at them and deleted videos from mobile phones belonging to everyone living in the house.
Tei and Shamsul have since been slapped with a six-day remand this morning. Sofia, on the other hand, is being held under remand until Monday.
Reforms to MACC
Meanwhile, the groups urged Anwar to implement reforms on MACC and enact political financing laws before the 16th general election.
The anti-graft agency, they said, should be turned into an independent body answerable to Parliament.
“The government should get feedback from the parliamentary select committee on the nomination of a MACC chief commissioner.
“We should also provide tenure protection for the MACC chief commissioner and create a due process for his dismissal.
“And MACC should also table an annual report to Parliament to be debated,” they stated.
Financing laws
As for political financing laws, the groups said the regulations should effectively govern the source, limits, and disclosure of political donations.
The NGOs also called for an amendment to the Election Offences Act 1954 to raise the election expense limit beyond the current threshold of RM200,000 for a parliamentary seat and RM100,000 for a state assembly seat.
“We must also include expenditures by political parties and proxies.
“Public funding based on vote total or vote share won by contestants must also be included in the Political Financing Act or some other laws,” they added.
‘Tei was lucky no drugs, firearms found’
In a separate statement, Muda’s communications bureau expressed its concern over the authorities’ extraordinary action against Tei after the businessperson linked Shamsul to alleged corruption.
Its deputy chief, Rasid Abu Bakar, pointed out it was not the first time that Tei had channelled information to MACC about alleged bribes, but none had seen such a heavy-handed response or raid.
He said the series of events appeared similar to what happened to Yusoff Rawther, who was remanded by police for over nine months before being charged with alleged drug trafficking and possession of imitation firearms.
Yusoff, who has an ongoing sexual assault civil suit against Anwar, has since been acquitted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, but pending an appeal by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
“The pattern is similar; whenever an issue touches a certain figure, the individual who made the allegation would be subjected to actions and pressure.
“In this situation, I can only say cynically but in full honesty that it was lucky no drugs or firearms were suddenly found in Tei’s home,” he said. - Mkini
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