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A WOMAN who appeared in a viral recording of a conversation with businessman Albert Tei has publicly denied serving as a proxy for Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, the former political secretary to the Prime Minister.
Identifying herself as Sofia Rini Buyong in a video statement, she insisted that Albert Tei’s allegations were entirely false. She also rejected claims that she had engaged in any discussion regarding applications for a mining licence.
“I want to clarify that I have never met or held any discussion with the Prime Minister regarding the allegations made by Albert,” she said. “I have also never held any discussion with Shamsul Iskandar concerning Albert’s actions relating to his application process for a mining licence.”
Sofia said her meeting with Tei Jiann Chieng — Albert’s full name — had been pre-arranged, but that their more-than-an-hour-long conversation had been secretly recorded without her knowledge.
“Throughout the meeting, Albert repeatedly pushed his narrative and persistently attempted to get me to confirm it,” she said.
“This conduct resembles a malicious conspiracy aimed at tarnishing the names of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and Shamsul Iskandar. It is an attempt to topple the government through undemocratic means.”
She also dismissed allegations that Albert had handed over funds on the premise that Shamsul Iskandar could help recover money supposedly channelled to Sabah politicians linked to mining licences.
“This is a blatant lie, as no such discussion ever took place between Albert, myself and Shamsul Iskandar,” she said.
Sofia said she had sought legal advice and lodged a request for police to investigate Albert and “those behind him” under Section 499 of the Penal Code, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had earlier summoned the woman for questioning, saying her cooperation was crucial in its investigation involving Shamsul Iskandar.
A clip depicting a woman and Albert discussing alleged payments exceeding RM600,000 had previously circulated widely on social media. - November 27, 2025