Lawyer Shield Albert He Ll Name Extremely High Level Macc Officer

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Businessperson Albert Tei is ready to name the MACC officer who warned him against exposing the Sabah mining scandal, but he wants whistleblower protection first, said his lawyer, Mahajoth Singh.
In a statement to Malaysiakini this evening, the lawyer disclosed that the warning came from an individual holding a position of high authority.
He was responding to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M Kulasegaran, who urged Tei to lodge a report and promised that the government would not tolerate any form of intimidation against whistleblowers.
Mahajoth said such a guarantee must nevertheless be received with caution based on his client’s prior experience.
“As previously stated, my client attempted to approach the MACC in October 2024 with the intention of making disclosures regarding the Sabah corruption scandal.
“However, he was explicitly warned not to proceed with lodging a report. My client’s instructions are that this warning came from an individual whose position is at an extremely high level,” he added.
Therefore, Mahajoth said if the government is indeed serious about its guarantee of non-compromise in the face of intimidation, then it must demonstrate that seriousness by immediately conferring whistleblower protection upon his client without delay.
“This is precisely what my client has been seeking since day one.
“Once that is done, he will disclose everything, including the identity of the individual who warned him to remain silent,” he added.
Mahajoth said the issue at hand is not his client’s unwillingness to come forward but whether the government is prepared to honour its own assurances and uphold the rule of law impartially, irrespective of status or office.
Yesterday, Mahajoth said Tei had been warned not to come forward in response to Kulasegaran’s superior Azalina Othman Said stating that whistleblowers who approach the media before enforcement agencies are not entitled to protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010.
The lawyer said his client only decided to go public, revealing video recordings and documents implicating several Sabah assemblypersons to Malaysiakini, after being dismissed by the MACC and receiving death threats.- Mkini

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