SHAH ALAM - Businessman Albert Tei, who has been charged with five counts of giving over RM180,000 in bribes to the former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, says his meeting with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was not for political reasons.
Instead, Tei whose real name is Tei Jiann Cheing, 37, said the meeting at the Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya more than a week ago was solely to seek advice regarding the corruption charges he was facing.
He said there was no close relationship between him and the political figure, as it was their first time meeting.
According to Tei, during the one-hour meeting, the 100-year-old Dr Mahathir showed no signs of hearing difficulty and listened attentively to his explanation.
“There are claims that I have ties with Dr Mahathir, even saying that I have become his adopted son.
“Although that is something I would dream of, the truth is it did not happen. I hope our names can be cleared from such speculation,” he said.
The entrepreneur added that during the meeting, Dr Mahathir encouraged him to continue with his disclosures.
On Thursday, Tei pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to four charges of giving RM176,829.03 in bribes to Shamsul in 2023 and last year.
On Friday, he was hauled to the Shah Alam Sessions Court and was charged with giving a bribe of RM62,924 to Shamsul to help secure approval for a mineral exploration licence in Sabah.
Previously, allegations surfaced that a businessman had bribed the former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister to reclaim money that had been given to several Sabah state assemblymen.
Following that, Shamsul and Tei were remanded for six days until Dec 4, while another individual, Sofia Rini Buyong, was remanded for four days to assist in the investigation.