The prosecution in the Shamsul Iskandar corruption case insists there is no legal bar to continuing investigations, even after charges have been filed.
KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution in the corruption case against Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin has told the Sessions Court that no law prevents an ongoing investigation from continuing even after an accused person has been charged.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Farah Ezlin Yusop Khan made the statement after defence lawyer Datuk Amer Hamzah Arshad raised the issue during a case mention before Judge Suzana Hussin.
Amer Hamzah had sought clarification on whether the investigation against his client, a former senior political secretary to the Prime Minister, was complete or still ongoing, arguing it would be unfair to proceed with charges if investigations were not finalised.
“Regarding the issue of the ongoing investigation raised by the defence, I do not see any law preventing it from being carried out, even though the accused has already been charged in court,” said Farah Ezlin.
The defence also informed the court of an application filed on February 4 to transfer the case to the High Court, with a hearing scheduled for April 9, which the prosecution confirmed it would oppose.
Farah Ezlin added that some documents had been handed to the defence under Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code, but others were still pending review, with the court subsequently fixing May 8 for the next mention.
Shamsul Iskandar was first charged at the Sessions Court here on December 4, 2025, with agreeing to accept RM100,000 in cash from businessman Albert Tei Jiann Cheing as an inducement to help Tei’s companies obtain mineral exploration licences in Sabah.
He also faces a charge of accepting RM40,000 in cash from the same individual for the same purpose, along with two counts of receiving bribes in the form of furniture and electrical appliances valued at RM14,580.03 and RM22,249 respectively.
The offences were allegedly committed at various locations in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya between late 2023 and early 2024.
On December 5 last year, he was separately charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court with one count of corruptly obtaining RM62,924 from Tei, which was allegedly deposited into a woman’s bank account for house rental as an inducement for the same purpose.
All charges are framed under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of not less than five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
