MACC remands senior council officer, two businessmen; seizes Hermes bags, luxury cars in RM7m graft probe tied to govt projects

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 27 — A senior local authority officer and two businessmen have been remanded for four days as part of a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation into a bribery scheme believed to have spanned more than a decade.

The suspects, a Grade JUSA B officer, a company owner and a director, were arrested between noon yesterday and 1 am today at various locations in the Klang Valley, including the Kuala Lumpur MACC office and the officer’s workplace.

The remand order was issued today by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin at the Magistrate’s Court here.

According to sources, the company owner is suspected of paying bribes to the officer since 2014 in exchange for assistance in securing government projects.

MACC has since seized more than RM200,000 in cash, four mobile devices, two luxury vehicles, a Lexus RX500H and a Mini Cooper, as well as branded handbags and shoes from Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

Investigators also froze 19 bank accounts linked to the suspects and their companies, with a total estimated value exceeding RM7 million.

MACC Intelligence senior director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin confirmed the arrests, saying the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009. — Bernama