Sabah bribery scandal: Singapore firm comes under Malaysian scrutiny

‘I’m just an anchovy. What about the sharks?’ whistle-blower Albert Tei asks after he is charged

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency is now targeting a Singapore-registered mining company as part of its investigation into a bribery scandal in Sabah that has already seen two state lawmakers and a businessman charged in court on Monday.

The case captured public attention after the businessman, Albert Tei Jiann Cheing, released covert videos showing state lawmakers engaged in bribe negotiations with him, implicating several prominent figures in Malaysia’s second-largest state.

Despite claiming to be a whistle-blower, Tei was charged on Monday alongside state assemblymen Yusof Yacob and Andi Suryady Bandy with bribery in exchange for helping to facilitate the approval of a mineral prospecting licence.

This latest development came from an exposé by Malay-language news website Malaysia Corporate on Wednesday, claiming that Tei was backed and funded by a tycoon who manages a Singapore-listed company.

In response, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki said the commission was scrutinising the allegations and would be summoning witnesses to assist in the investigation.

“We will be recording statements from relevant individuals soon,” Azam said.

The allegations also named more Sabah-state lawmakers and power brokers as being party to the scandal, piling pressure on the ruling coalition just months before an expected election in December.

The unfolding scandal is fuelling concerns over the state’s entrenched corruption and raising questions about political accountability in one of Malaysia’s poorest yet most resource-rich states.

On Tuesday, one of those named in Tei’s case, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Jeffrey Kitingan dismissed these allegations as being orchestrated by a “hidden hand” to destabilise the state government ahead of the election, pointing out the convenient timing of the exposés.

“We see that there is a hidden hand moving around and planning all this behind the scenes,” Kitingan told news website Borneo Post.

He said that he had already given a statement to the MACC during earlier investigations.

“Everyone was summoned, so I went to give my statement. After that, we thought that was it – MACC never contacted us again or sent us any letters. We thought it had nothing to do with us. Then came the news with the allegation. We were shocked, of course,” he said.

Public concerns were raised earlier this year when former chief minister Musa Aman, who faced allegations of receiving US$63 million in logging kickbacks, was appointed Sabah’s governor.

Although the corruption charges against him were dropped in 2020, his return to high office has sparked renewed debate over political accountability and the message it sends about impunity for powerful figures.

Responding to his charge on Monday, Tei said that he was just “an anchovy”.

“I’ve been caught and charged. What about the sharks?” he asked.