Albert Tei arrested by armed MACC officers after raid on home, lawyer says due process ignored

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 28): Businessman Albert Tei was allegedly arrested this morning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police, before being released minutes later.

According to Tei’s lawyer Zaid Malek, the MACC made a forced entry into his client’s house before arresting him.

“When I arrived at his house and asked to meet with my client, the MACC officers and the police officers refused entry to the house or to meet my client,” he said in a statement today.

In a later written update, Zaid said the officers later brought back Albert to the house.

“No explanation why they took him away only to bring him back minutes later,” Tei added.

Zaid said that during the incident, the officers refused to identify themselves or disclose where Tei was being taken.

He added that the officers only spoke to him after he took photographs of the incident, and that they asked to see his mobile phone and the images he had captured.

“The actions of the authorities here is a breach of my client’s constitutional rights to due process. His right to counsel is also denied,” he said.

On Nov 26, MACC said it would immediately investigate allegations that Tei had given bribes to Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s former senior political secretary .

MACC had said it would summon both Tei and Shamsul Iskandar to give their statements in the near future. — Malay Mail