Phoong: Claims Are Lies, Legal Action Imminent

15 December 2025

KOTA KINABALU: KOTA KINABALU: Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe has rejected allegations made against him by businessman Albert Tei during a live programme, describing the claims as defamatory and announcing that he is preparing to take legal action.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Phoong said he was “deeply disgusted and outraged” by what he described as slanderous accusations, adding that he had consulted his lawyers and would move to defend his reputation and integrity. “I will not compromise on this matter,” he said.

Phoong denied Tei’s account of their alleged discussion, saying it was a complete distortion of facts, entirely baseless and seriously misleading. He said such remarks amounted to malicious character assassination and defamation through the fabrication of falsehoods.

He stated unequivocally that he had never initiated any meeting with Tei and had never made remarks such as “who doesn’t love money” or anything similar. While acknowledging that he had met Tei once for a brief conversation, Phoong stressed that he had never been involved in any actions related to the Sabah mining matters alleged.

According to Phoong, the first and only meeting took place at around noon on 22 March 2023. After verifying the timeline and reviewing message records with his political secretary, Chan Loong Wei, Phoong said the meeting occurred only after Tei insisted on seeing him despite having no prior appointment. Phoong said he agreed to a 15-minute meeting as part of his official duties as a minister and elected representative, whose office routinely meets members of the public.

Phoong added that he did not know Tei personally and had no intention of meeting him. He said the meeting was not pre-arranged and that, besides raising issues related to mining exploration, Tei had attempted to persuade them to approve the establishment of a concessionary company to exclusively manage Sabah’s scrap metal exports. Phoong said the proposal was unanimously rejected and there was no follow-up after the meeting.

He further emphasised that, as Tei himself had acknowledged, no money had ever been taken. “Neither I nor the DAP has ever participated in any process related to Sabah mining matters, nor did we ever agree to the establishment of any company intended to monopolise Sabah’s scrap metal exports,” he said.

Responding to remarks about his electoral defeat, Phoong said he had fully accepted the voters’ verdict in the Sabah election. He reaffirmed his commitment to reflect humbly, return to the grassroots, remain grounded and work steadily to regain public trust.