Latest news with #AlbertTei
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Authorities cannot threaten whistleblowers, Albert Tei urged to report
KUALA LUMPUR: Any individual who comes forward to provide information on any improper conduct cannot be blocked or threatened by any party, including the authorities. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said this was because the authorities should protect whistleblowers under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (Act 711). 'I have taken note of Albert Tei's lawyer today, regarding the allegation that Albert Tei had contacted the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding a corruption scandal but was warned by MACC officers not to appear in public or he would face problems. 'This is a very serious allegation and is completely unacceptable... I would like to advise the individual named Albert Tei to immediately file a report regarding this issue with the Royal Malaysian Police and the MACC Complaints Committee under Section 15 of the MACC Act 2009 (Act 694) by naming the MACC officers involved in the allegation. 'I give full assurance that the MADANI Government will not compromise on issues of threats like these, and that stern action will be taken if the allegation is found to be true,' he said when winding up the debate on the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 in Parliament on Tuesday (July 22). The bill was later passed with a majority of votes in agreement after being debated by 24 Members of Parliament (MPs). During the debate on the bill, several MPs raised the issue of a media report today regarding a statement by Albert Tei's lawyer, Mahajoth Singh, who claimed that his client was warned by the MACC not to come forward before he exposed the mining scandal in Sabah. Regarding the Whistleblower Protection Committee in the amendment to the bill, Kulasegaran said the government would ensure that the committee's membership was free from conflicts of interest and of a high calibre. He said that among the proposed members would be parties with knowledge and expertise in the aspect of whistleblower protection, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or civil society organisations (CSOs), as well as academic experts. 'This will ensure independence, transparency, no conflict of interest, and checks and balances in the implementation of the committee. 'This Whistleblower Protection Committee is a stop-gap measure only, temporarily until a central agency is established, namely the Ombudsman Malaysia, which will take over the functions and duties of this committee with additional powers, including receiving complaints from whistleblowers covering improper and harmful conduct. 'The Ombudsman Malaysia will also monitor the results of investigations carried out by this enforcement agency, and any reporting to Parliament is very welcome for transparency purposes and will be implemented when the central agency is established,' he said, adding that standard operating procedures, including timelines will be detailed and set during the establishment of the Ombudsman Malaysia. Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said when tabling the bill for the second reading said that the Whistleblower Protection Committee is responsible for obtaining and coordinating statistics and data related to disclosures and complaints received by enforcement agencies. She said, however, that all statistics, data or information submitted to the committee cannot include any confidential information protected under Section 8, to ensure that there is no information leakage issue. 'This directly guarantees that the identity of the whistleblower remains protected as provided for in Section 6 of this act, thus ensuring that public confidence in the whistleblower protection system continues to be maintained,' she said. She added that statistics showed that from 2011 to 2023, a total of 74,614 complaints related to improper conduct were received and investigated, while 1,139 people were recognised as whistleblowers and given protection. The session continues today. - Bernama
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Lodge report, name the officer- Kulasegaran
KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk Albert Tei has been urged to lodge a report and name the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officer who warned him not to go public about the mineral mining licensing scandal in Sabah. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran in his winding-up debate of the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 said the matter was raised by several members of parliament during their debates. "This is a serious allegation and cannot be accepted. "Anyone who reports misconduct must not face obstruction or threats from any party, particularly from authorities responsible for safeguarding whistleblowers under the act. "As such, I would like to advise the individual named Albert Tei to promptly lodge a report on this matter with both the police and the MACC Complaints Committee, in accordance with Section 15 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and to name the anti-graft officer implicated in the allegation," he said. Earlier today, a news portal reported that Tei's lawyer Mahajoth Singh revealed that the businessman had approached MACC but was warned against coming forward regarding the mining scandal. Authorities began their probe after a series of edited videos were published by a news portal in November last year.
Barnama
2 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
Authorities Cannot Threaten Whistleblowers, Albert Tei Asked To Make Report
KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- Any individual who comes forward to provide information on any improper conduct cannot be blocked or threatened by any party, including the authorities. Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said this was because the authorities should protect whistleblowers under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (Act 711). 'I have taken note of Albert Tei's lawyer today, regarding the allegation that Albert Tei had contacted the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding a corruption scandal but was warned by MACC officers not to appear in public or he would face problems. 'This is a very serious allegation and is completely unacceptable… I would like to advise the individual named Albert Tei to immediately file a report regarding this issue with the Royal Malaysian Police and the MACC Complaints Committee under Section 15 of the MACC Act 2009 (Act 694) by naming the MACC officers involved in the allegation. 'I give full assurance that the MADANI Government will not compromise on issues of threats like these, and that stern action will be taken if the allegation is found to be true,' he said when winding up the debate on the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 in Parliament today. The bill was later passed with a majority of votes in agreement after being debated by 24 Members of Parliament (MPs). During the debate on the bill, several MPs raised the issue of a media report today regarding a statement by Albert Tei's lawyer, Mahajoth Singh, who claimed that his client was warned by the MACC not to come forward before he exposed the mining scandal in Sabah. Regarding the Whistleblower Protection Committee in the amendment to the bill, Kulasegaran said the government would ensure that the committee's membership was free from conflicts of interest and of a high calibre. He said that among the proposed members would be parties with knowledge and expertise in the aspect of whistleblower protection, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or civil society organisations (CSOs), as well as academic experts.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Lodge report against MACC officer who threatened you, Kula tells businessman
Deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran speaking in Parliament during the winding-up of the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran has urged businessman Albert Tei to lodge a police report and name the anti-graft agency officer who allegedly threatened him not to go public with information about the Sabah mining scandal. 'This issue has also been raised by several MPs. It is a very serious allegation and one that cannot be accepted under any circumstances,' he said during his winding-up speech for the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today. 'I would like to advise the individual named Albert Tei to immediately file a report regarding this issue with the police and the MACC complaints committee under Section 15 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (Act 694), by naming the MACC officer involved in the allegation.' Kulasegaran said that the government will not compromise on issues involving threats or intimidation, and stern action will be taken if the allegations are found to be true. 'Any individual who comes forward with information about misconduct must not be blocked or threatened by any party, especially by authorities who are supposed to protect whistleblowers under Act 711,' he said. Tei is currently standing trial on two charges of giving a total of RM350,000 in bribes related to mineral prospecting licence applications in Sabah to two assemblymen. Earlier today, lawyer Mahajoth Singh was reported as saying that Tei had approached MACC but was warned against coming forward before he exposed the Sabah mining scandal to Malaysiakini. Malaysiakini reported Mahajoth as saying that his client had first approached MACC at the end of October 2024, but was told by the anti-graft agency that he 'would be in trouble' if he came forward. Tei was also not offered any protection, the lawyer claimed. Mahajoth said this in response to law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said, who said whistleblowers who approached the media before enforcement agencies were not entitled to protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010. He said Tei decided to go public after being dismissed by the MACC and receiving death threats. The Sabah mining scandal surfaced last year following the leak of several videos purportedly showing discussions involving bribery and misconduct related to mineral exploration projects in the state. Tei and two other Sabah assemblymen have since claimed trial to charges of giving and receiving a total of RM350,000 in bribes related to mineral prospecting licence applications in the state.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
File police, MACC reports over alleged threats, Kula tells Sabah graft whistleblower
KUALA LUMPUR: File a report with the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), government tells Sabah graft whistleblower. Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said that the Madani government will not compromise with any intimidation. 'This matter has been raised by several MPs. This is a very serious allegation and completely unacceptable,' he said when winding up the debates on the Whistleblower Act (Amendment) in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (July 22). He added that any whistleblower who comes forward with information about any misconduct must not be silenced or threatened by any party. "Especially not by the authorities themselves. I would like to advise the individual named Albert Tei to immediately file a report with the police and the MACC complaints committee under Section 15 of the MACC Act 2009, naming the MACC officer involved in the allegation. 'I guarantee that the Madani government will not compromise with any intimidation if the allegation is true,' he said. Previously, Tei — who exposed a graft allegation in Sabah — allegedly was told by an MACC officer not to appear in public to avoid any problems.
