KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Businessman Albert Tei Jiann Cheing today pleaded not guilty to four corruption charges, where he allegedly gave bribes worth over RM176,000 to the prime minister’s former senior political secretary Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin during a period spanning from November 2023 to March 2024.

Tei was alleged to have given bribes in the form of cash worth RM140,000 and over RM36,000 in furniture and electrical appliances to Shamsul Iskandar.

Tei, dressed in a light green collared shirt and a dark-coloured blazer, pleaded not guilty to the four charges and claimed trial in a loud and clear voice.

If convicted over any of the charges, the penalty is a maximum 20 years’ jail term, and a fine of RM10,000 or at least five times the sum of the bribe, whichever amount is higher.

Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin decided to impose bail of RM70,000 on Tei with two Malaysian sureties.

The judge listed three conditions for the bail, namely for Tei to surrender his passport to the court, to report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office once a month, and to not disturb any prosecution witnesses until the trial ends. 

Tei's case is scheduled for mention at the Sessions Court on January 8.

Earlier, Shamsul Iskandar was charged before the same judge with four corruption charges over the alleged bribes he allegedly received from Tei on the same dates and at the same locations.

Shamsul Iskandar had also pleaded not guilty, and his bail was fixed at RM150,000 with the same three conditions, with his case also scheduled for mention on January 8.

What are Tei’s charges

Here are the four charges against Tei:

• On November 24, 2023, he is alleged to have given RM100,000 cash as gratification to Shamsul Iskandar at the carpark of Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
• Between December 7, 2023 and January 31, 2024, he is alleged to have given furniture and electrical appliances worth RM14,580.03 as gratification to Shamsul Iskandar at 131, Jalan Medan Serai, Bukit Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur.
• On January 29, 2024, he is alleged to have given RM40,000 cash as gratification to Shamsul Iskandar at 131, Jalan Medan Serai, Bukit Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur.
• Between February 26 to March 5, 2024, he is alleged to have given furniture and electrical appliances worth RM22,249 as gratification to Shamsul Iskandar at 26, Jalan P14a 1/1, Precinct 14 in Putrajaya.

The four charges against Tei are under Section 17(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, which covers the offence of giving bribes to an agent as inducement or reward for actions in relation to the agent’s principal’s affairs or business.

Under all four charges, Tei was accused of having allegedly given the bribes to Shamsul Iskandar as an agent of the Malaysian government, as inducement to help Tei’s companies get approval for mineral exploration licences in Sabah.

What lawyers argued over Tei's bail

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan proposed for bail to be set at RM300,000, which she said was a reasonable amount to secure his attendance in court throughout the trial as the four charges involved serious offences with potential fines of over RM800,000 if convicted.

She also argued that Tei's passport should be surrendered to the court as he is a flight risk since he has businesses in Singapore, and further claimed that he has an alleged tendency to disturb witnesses based on social media posts.

Tei's lawyer Latheefa Koya argued that a lower bail amount of RM21,000 should be imposed on her client based on how bail was calculated in previous court cases.

Among other things, she noted that Tei was previously imposed bail totalling RM15,000 when he was charged together with two Sabah state assemblymen in relation to alleged bribes worth RM350,000.

Latheefa argued that her client is an informant regardless of whether he is given protection as a whistleblower or not, and denied that he had failed to cooperate with the MACC.

She said Tei's passport had already been surrendered to the court in Sabah, and that he had diligently reported himself to the MACC's office as part of his bail conditions since he was charged there.

Latheefa said it was unfair to allege that Tei would disturb witnesses as he is the person who gave all the information that the four charges against him are based on.

She said the 37-year-old Tei is married with two teenage children while also caring for both his parents and parents-in-law, and that a high bail amount would affect his financial capability and his family.

Among other things, Farah Ezlin argued that the suggested RM21,000 bail amount was too low, and that the case here is not less serious than Tei's case in Sabah.

The deputy public prosecutor also argued that Tei's case is a public interest case, and that personal interest must never outweigh public interest.

The court then decided on the RM70,000 bail amount.

Tei was also represented today by lawyers Eric Paulsen, N. Surendran, Rajesh Nagarajan, Mahajoth Singh and Reenajit Kaur.