'Turkish citizenship and cash to Africa': Police urged to investigate woman's claims against Anwar, Farhash

Police have been urged to investigate "serious allegations" against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his former aide turned businessman, Farhash Wafa Salvador, almost two weeks after a video surfaced on social media featuring a woman at the centre of the corruption scandal linked to the Prime Minister's Office late last year.

In a police report today, prominent whistleblower Albert Tei, who recorded the video of his conversation last November with Sofia Rini Buyong, questioned the silence of Anwar and Farhash despite the seriousness of her allegations against them.

"Two weeks have passed, but Anwar Ibrahim and Farhash Wafa Salvador have not filed a police report or civil suit against Sofia Rini Buyong for various defamatory allegations," Tei said in his report.

"If the accusations made by Sofia Rini Buyong are baseless and malicious, her actions constitute a criminal defamation offence under the Penal Code (Act 574)."

Speaking to reporters, Tei said that in the video, Sofia alleged that Anwar's travel to Africa last year was to transfer money, while also claiming that Farhash had obtained Turkish citizenship.

Anwar has meanwhile dismissed the claims, saying he would not entertain allegations without evidence.

Tei had previously confirmed that the 49-second clip which surfaced on April 22 was part of a longer recording at the centre of the corruption scandal involving Anwar's former political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, in which she revealed that Tei had given Shamsul with gifts and cash.

The video was recorded by Tei without Sofia's knowledge.

Sofia has since been named as a key prosecution witness in Shamsul's upcoming trial.

Since Nov 25 last year, several clips from the same meeting between Tei and Sofia have been released, in which she agreed with Tei's claim that he had showered Shamsul with RM630,000 worth of gifts and cash.
 
She also named Anwar and MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki as being complicit in a plan to secretly record more than a dozen Sabah ruling politicians admitting to receiving bribes in exchange for mineral licences.

In another instalment of the clip, she was heard saying that it was Anwar who instructed Shamsul to issue a support letter in 2024 recommending six contractors for a government hospital project.

On Nov 25, Shamsul resigned as Anwar's political secretary, on the same day the first clip surfaced. Meanwhile, Sofia has denied everything she was heard agreeing with Tei about in the video.

Three days later, masked MACC officers dramatically arrested Tei after breaking into his home in Puchong.

Tei and Shamsul were later charged with four counts of giving and receiving RM176,829.03 in gratification, while Sofia was named a key witness.

Tei first came to prominence in late 2024 after he released more than a dozen secretly recorded video clips of Sabah ruling politicians admitting to him that they received money in exchange for mineral licences.

Tei claimed Shamsul requested to make the secret recordings. He said he had approached Shamsul, seeking his help to speak to Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor to recover the money paid to several GRS assemblymen.

Tei claimed that while his money was never returned, he had spent almost RM630,000 on Shamsul.