KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — The prime minister’s former senior political secretary Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin today pleaded not guilty to four corruption charges under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act in court, over his alleged receiving of bribery worth over RM176,000 from businessman Albert Tei Jiann Cheing.
Shamsul Iskandar is accused of having corruptly obtained and received bribes from Tei in the form of cash worth RM140,000 and over RM36,000 in furniture and electrical appliances.
Shamsul Iskandar, dressed in a green and yellow batik shirt, pleaded not guilty to the four charges and claimed trial.
If convicted over any of the charges, the penalty he faces 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.
The charges were read out in a packed courtroom at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Sessions Court judge Suzana Hussin decided to fix bail at RM150,000 with two Malaysian sureties, with three additional conditions including for Shamsul Iskandar to surrender his passport to the court until the trial is over.
The two other conditions are for Shamsul Iskandar to report to the MACC’s office once every month, and to not disturb any prosecution witnesses until the end of the trial.
His case will be mentioned at the Sessions Court on January 8.
What Shamsul Iskandar was charged with
Here are the details of Shamsul Iskandar’s four charges:
On November 24, 2023, he is alleged to have corruptly agreed to accept RM100,000 cash as gratification for himself from Tei at the carpark of Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Between December 7, 2023 and January 31, 2024, he is alleged to have corruptly obtained furniture and electrical appliances worth RM14,580.03 from Tei as gratification for himself at 131, Jalan Medan Serai, Bukit Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur.
On January 29, 2024, he is alleged to have corruptly obtained RM40,000 cash as gratification for himself from Tei at 131, Jalan Medan Serai, Bukit Bandaraya in Kuala Lumpur.
Between February 26 to March 5, 2024, he is alleged to have corruptly obtained furniture and electrical appliances worth RM22,249 as gratification for himself from Tei at 26, Jalan P14a 1/1, Presint 14 in Putrajaya.
The four charges against Shamsul Iskandar were brought against him under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act.
Section 17(a) covers the offence of accepting or obtaining bribes as an agent, as an inducement or reward to act in relation to the agent’s principal’s affairs or business.
Under all four charges, Shamsul Iskandar was accused of having allegedly obtained the bribes as an agent of the Malaysian government, via his then role as the prime minister’s senior political secretary, as inducement to help Tei’s companies to get approval for mineral exploration licences in Sabah.
