Eyebrows raised as MACC chief alludes to 'baseless allegation' over bribery scandal involving PM's aide

Amid pressure and calls from the public, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today said that it would investigate Anwar Ibrahim's former political secretary Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin who is currently embroiled in a serious corruption scandal involving the Prime Minister's Office.

However, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki's use of the word "tohmahan", a Malay term that denotes a baseless allegation, triggered a new round of criticism online.

"Tohmahan? A strange choice of words," wrote Mohd Asri Zaidan, one of hundreds who expressed displeasure with the term.

Azam had also used the word when referring to allegations involving another former political secretary of Anwar's: Farhash Wafa Salvador, whom MalaysiaNow reported had received approval for a mineral exploration licence in Sabah in an area three times the size of Kuala Lumpur.

In his statement today, Azam, whose tenure at MACC was extended three times by Anwar's administration, also urged the public against speculating about the issue.

He said MACC should be given the space to investigate and collect statements and evidence related to the allegation.

Businessman Albert Tei, who previously exposed a corruption scandal involving 14 Sabah ruling politicians through video evidence, yesterday revealed that he had spent almost RM630,000 on Shamsul in the hope that the latter would help him negotiate with Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor to recover the money that Tei had paid to several GRS politicians.

Tei also claimed to have paid for renovations, appliances, and furnishings for two properties – one in Bangsar and an official residence in Putrajaya.

Tei's expenditure also includes expensive cigars and a number of suits.

News portal Malaysiakini said Tei also claimed to have given Shamsul a total of RM350,000 in cash between November 2023 and October 2024.

Tei is believed to have included documentary and photographic evidence of his purchases and cash transactions.

His claims were backed by a woman who is believed to be Shamsul's aide.

In a secretly recorded video which has gone viral, the woman appeared to corroborate some of these payments, agreeing to Tei's suggestion that RM20,000 was passed at a cigar cafe in Kota Kinabalu, RM100,000 at Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and several other cash handouts on various occasions.

Shamsul announced his resignation as Anwar's political secretary yesterday.

Tei began releasing a series of videos through Malaysiakini in December last year, implicating more than a dozen state assemblymen, senior Sabah ministers, and a state assembly speaker.

Anti-graft activists subsequently urged Azam and MACC to launch an investigation, saying Tei should be given protection as a whistleblower due to concerns for his safety.

Anwar however rejected Tei's request for protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act.

In June, after months of pressure on MACC, two Sabah assemblymen were charged alongside Tei himself with receiving and giving bribes.

Tei, as well as activists and lawyers, have since slammed MACC for targeting "small fish" while sparing senior officials and other "sharks" seen in the videos.