KUALA LUMPUR – Businessman Albert Tei has filed a civil suit against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki and the federal government over his treatment while under investigation.
In the suit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday, Tei alleged that he was compelled to wear an orange lock-up shirt despite not having been charged at the time.
His lawyer, N. Surendran, said there was no legal basis for requiring a person who was merely under investigation to be dressed in lock-up attire, arguing that the move violated fundamental constitutional rights.
Surendran added that photographs of Tei wearing the orange shirt, which later circulated publicly, created the impression that he was already guilty, reported the New Straits Times (NST).
Tei is seeking a court declaration that the action was unconstitutional, as well as damages to be assessed by the court.
He arrived at the High Court at about 9am for the mention of a corruption case linked to Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, a former political secretary to a prime minister.
Tei said he was taken to multiple locations while handcuffed and made to wear an orange T-shirt bearing the word “lock-up”, exposing him to public view.
“Wearing the same attire, I was brought to several places and seen by many people. What was MACC’s intention? This was clearly meant to prejudice the public against me,” he was quoted as saying, further alleging that the actions amounted to deliberate mental abuse intended to undermine his resolve.
Tei also said he would not back down, stressing that he considered himself a victim and a whistleblower in several scandals involving influential figures.
“He further questioned why prominent figures, including former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, were not made to wear similar attire, alleging double standards in enforcement.
On December 4, Tei claimed trial at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to four corruption charges involving RM176,829.03. He is accused of giving bribes to Shamsul on several occasions between November 2023 and March last year as an inducement for his companies to obtain mineral exploration licences in Sabah.
Shamsul had also claimed trial to receiving the bribes from Tei.
On November 28, a team of MACC officers, dressed in tactical gear including bulletproof vests and balaclavas, raided Tei’s home in Puchong, handcuffed him and took him away in a black vehicle.
Tei’s wife, Lee Pei Rie, alleged that the officers forced entry through the main door, handcuffed her husband and that one officer pointed a gun at him. She also claimed that family members were ordered to gather in a corner of the house, while their mobile phones, including those belonging to their children, were confiscated to delete videos and images.
Azam has denied the allegation that officers pointed a gun at Tei’s head, saying the operation was conducted in accordance with standard operating procedures.
Police opened an investigation following Lee’s report, but Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said initial findings did not uncover evidence that a firearm was pointed at Tei.
Tei’s other lawyer, Mahajoth Singh, had earlier called on the authorities to release video footage of the raid in the interest of transparency. – January 8, 2026