Albert Tei’s lawyer Mahajoth Singh has questioned why PKR Youth leaders are attacking his client but staying silent on the politicians implicated in the Sabah corruption scandal.
In a scathing statement, he questioned whether PKR Youth information chief Danish Hairudin’s attacks stem from discomfort at the businessperson-turned-whistleblower’s exposé.
He went on to accuse Danish of rushing to defend PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the prime minister.
“Why the sudden courage only when the target is a whistleblower?
“One cannot escape the impression that these attacks are less about integrity and more about protecting political superiors.
“Defending one’s boss is easy. Defending the rule of law requires courage,” Mahajoth said today.
Yesterday, Danish slammed Tei for pleading not guilty to corruption charges in court, saying it was contrary to the latter’s previous statements.
He called Tei’s recent criticism of Anwar a “desperate attempt to divert attention from his own contradictions and shortcomings”.
Previously, Tei insisted he is no hero and challenged Anwar on whether the prime minister can claim the title either. He emphasised that exposing the scandal was never about seeking praise, but a matter of desperation.
Tei was responding to Anwar’s recent comments expressing concern over the trend of glorifying bribe givers. While the prime minister did not mention names or refer to the Sabah scandal, Tei was convinced he was the target.
Legal rights for all
Commenting further, Mahajoth said the choice to plead not guilty is a fundamental and non-negotiable right.
“There is no legal contradiction between exposing corruption, cooperating with investigations, and insisting that the prosecution discharge its burden of proof in court,” he added.
Mahajoth said that Anwar himself previously provided an unsworn statement in court that was not subjected to cross-examination, which the lawyer said was a “lawful procedural choice”.
“No one then accused him (Anwar) of cowardice, inconsistency, or deception.
“Legal rights cannot be celebrated when exercised by political leaders and ridiculed when exercised by critics. That is hypocrisy, not principle,” Mahajoth said.
Tei has been a thorn in the side of GRS and Pakatan Harapan since November last year, after exposing a slew of videos, screenshots, and documents.
He claimed that politicians accepted money from him in exchange for mineral exploration licences, which were later cancelled, prompting him to expose the scandal.
Sabah mining scandal
Just days before the Sabah election, the businessperson implicated Shamsul Iskandar Akin, claiming he spent more than RM620,000 on Anwar’s former senior political aide, after being assured that Shamsul could help recoup money allegedly given to the politicians in Sabah.
Soon after, two videos surfaced in which a woman, accused of being Shamsul’s proxy, was heard agreeing with Tei that the former political aide suggested recording the videos and that Anwar had purportedly given his blessings, while MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki was also aware.
Subsequently, Tei and Shamsul were arrested and later charged with giving and accepting bribes in relation to the mining scandal.
In June, Tei was charged alongside two other GRS state assemblypersons for similar offences.
Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and GRS leaders have accused Tei of being part of a cartel seeking to monopolise mining in the state. The businessperson was also alleged to have resorted to fraudulent means to achieve his objective. - Mkini
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