A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer has lodged a police report over a video clip which implicated the anti-graft agency’s chief commissioner Azam Baki in the alleged Sabah mining scandal.
In the video, a woman identified as Sofia Rini Buyong claimed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former senior political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, met Azam to request that businessman Albert Tei’s case be “handed leniently” and resolved amicably “without dragging on”.
Tei, who is at the centre of the alleged Sabah mining scandal, is currently facing trial on two counts of giving bribes.
An MACC source said the video was intended to harm Azam’s reputation and tarnish the agency’s image and credibility.
“The police report will allow the authorities to investigate the allegations that an individual met Azam to request leniency for Tei … and (ask) that the case be resolved amicably without prolonging proceedings,” said the source.
MACC’s strategic communications division confirmed a police report had been lodged.
The anti-graft agency yesterday said it had summoned Tei and Sofia to its Putrajaya headquarters on Dec 1 to assist in an investigation involving Shamsul.
In a video, Tei was seen speaking to a woman, alleged to be Sofia, who purportedly claimed to act as a proxy for Shamsul.
The woman also claimed that Anwar had authorised Tei to record discussions with several Sabah politicians, including state ministers and assemblymen, concerning mineral exploration licences in the state.
Sofia has since denied being Shamsul’s proxy, describing the allegations as “false and malicious”.
The video surfaced shortly after Shamsul resigned as Anwar‘s political secretary on Tuesday, citing attempts to use a recent controversy to tarnish his reputation and that of the government.
While Shamsul did not go into detail about the controversy, the resignation comes days after Anwar defended his decision not to dismiss Shamsul after he issued a letter of support for contractors involved in a hospital project.
