Shamsul, Albert charged with RM176.8k corruption over mining licences

Former aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, has been slapped with four charges of taking RM176,830 in bribes from businessperson Albert Tei.

He is accused of taking kickbacks in his capacity as Anwar's political secretary at the time, to help Tei's companies obtain mineral mining licences in Sabah.

The charges, read out at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions court, include two counts of taking cash totalling RM140,000, while the remainder of the bribes were in the form of furniture and appliances.

The Malacca PKR chief pleaded not guilty to all four charges, which were read out before judge Suzana Hussin.

Tei later claimed trial to four charges for giving the bribes to Shamsul.

Shamsul was charged under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act for receiving bribes, while Tei was charged under Section 17(b) for giving bribes.

Both are punishable with up to 20 years in jail and a fine of at least five times the amount of the bribes involved.

RM150k bail for Shamsul, RM70k for Tei

Suzana set bail for Shamsul at RM150,000 with two sureties. He is required to surrender his passport to the court and report to the MACC once a month.

He is also ordered not to disturb any witnesses until the case is over.

Earlier, the prosecution applied to set bail at RM300,000, while Shamsul's lawyers pleaded for a lower amount, citing his health and "good character" as exemplified by the PKR leader's decision to resign as Anwar's aide when news of allegations against him surfaced.

Meanwhile, bail for Tei was set at RM70,000 with two sureties.

Tei must also surrender his passport to the court, report to the MACC once a month, and not disturb witnesses while the case is on trial.

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