EVER wonder why Datuk Albert Tei Jiann Cheing refused to plead guilty to five joint corruption charges levelled at him and Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin – the former senior aide of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – despite having admitted that he is the bribe giver?
After all, by pleading guilty, the 37-year-old businessman in the centre of the Sabah mining license scandal could through his high-powered legal team negotiate for leniency while he no longer need to be constantly on collision course with the authorities, most notably the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
This has sparked curiosity on cyberspace with one legally sound political observer stepping forward with a seemingly logical answer:
Q: Why didn’t Albert Tei plead guilty even though it was clear that he had kept and submitted evidence of his involvement?
A: Because during the court hearing, Albert will mention the details and background of the case, including revealing the people involved.
In other words, Albert wants his day in court, not to prove his own innocence but to put the onus of corruption on individuals who are actually pulling the strings behind the scene.
It takes a thief to catch a thief
Editor’s Note: The five charges meted out to Tei and Shamsul are framed under Section 17(a) and Section 17(b) of the MACC Act 2009 which provide a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of at least five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher upon conviction.
Yesterday (Dec 5), Tei had claimed trial at the Shah Alam Sessions Court for giving a RM64,924 bribe to 51-year-old Shamsul who recently resigned as PMX’s senior political secretary as an inducement for the Melaka PKR chief to assist companies linked to Tei in securing mineral exploration licences in Sabah.
The funds were allegedly deposited into the bank account of a woman Rahmalidya Buyong between Nov 28, 2023 and Sept 23, last year at a bank in Country Heights, Kajang.
On Thursday (Dec 4), both Tei and Shamsul again pleaded not guilty to four charges of giving and receiving RM176,829.03 in gratification at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
Both Tei and Shamsul are currently out on bail of RM70,000 and 150,000 respectively while their case will now be transferred to the KL Sessions Court to be jointly heard on Jan 8.
Interestingly, the political observer concurred with the notion by a commenter that eventually Tei “wants to be in control of the tapes” so that their content will not be manipulated later.
“Yup, Albert wants to be able to have some semblance of control during court proceedings when he takes to the witness stand to testify,” he justified.
“Whether the judge will accept or reject his testimony is beside the point because perception is paramount in a show trial.
“Thus, if Albert admits his guilt at this juncture, then, he immediately goes to jail and the untold story will remain buried.”
Bingo. Like what ex-DAP stalwart Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy aptly put it, “Tei is no hero or saint as he was the principal person who gave bribes in the mining scandal” but the fact remains that “he was conned by the politicians” – both from the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition and even Shamsul himself.
“There are even rumours that Anwar might be involved in the mining scandal by being the person who instructed Shamsul to facilitate Tei in the secret video recordings of politicians involved in the mining scandal,” suggested the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council chairman.
Therefore, who can blame Tei from becoming a man with the mission to ultimately expose “the biggest shark” who orchestrated the secret video recording of the Sabah mining scandal” - Focus Malaysia
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