Speaking at a ceramah here ahead of Saturday’s Sabah state election, the Pakatan Harapan chairman addressed the ongoing scrutiny surrounding his former senior political secretary Shamsul Iskandar Akin.
“The opposition brought up my ex-political secretary. Well, he came to me with his resignation, and I accepted it. He resigned,” Anwar said, referring to Shamsul’s decision to step down on Tuesday following corruption allegations.
“Some said, ‘He is the prime minister’s officer; he cannot be investigated.’ Who said he cannot be investigated? No one is above the law.
“Do I know the details? I don’t. Do I approve? If it (corruption allegation) is true, I don’t approve. Do I want MACC to investigate professionally? Yes. Transparently? Yes. Independently? Yes.”
“If there is a case, should they prosecute (Shamsul)? That’s their decision. If they think they should prosecute (him), go ahead. If the court decides to acquit (him), Alhamdulillah. If the court decides to punish (him)… so be it.”
Shamsul is expected to appear at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya tomorrow to provide a statement regarding bribery allegations involving businessman Albert Tei.
In a Bernama report, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed that an investigation paper has been opened following reports by a news portal, with three witnesses called in to provide their statements.
Azam said Tei is scheduled to give his statement on Dec 1, while the woman featured in a viral video talking to Tei provided her statement at 2pm today.
Tei, the businessman at the centre of the alleged Sabah mining scandal, is currently facing trial on two counts of giving bribes.
In a video, he is seen speaking to a woman who purportedly claimed to act as a proxy for Shamsul.
According to Malaysiakini, Tei claimed he had spent RM629,000 on Shamsul, including renovations for properties linked to him, as well as premium cigars and custom-made suits, allegedly under the assurance that he could recover the funds channelled to Sabah politicians.
He also shared screenshots of WhatsApp conversations in which Shamsul purportedly requested foreign currency from him before travelling overseas.
Tei’s allegations surfaced shortly after Shamsul resigned as Anwar’s political secretary. Shamsul had cited attempts to use the controversy to tarnish his reputation and that of the government.