Ex-bank officers among five held for RM300,000 loan bribery scam

SANDAKAN (May 22): Five individuals, including four former bank officers, have been remanded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on suspicion of soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM300,000 from company owners as an inducement to approve financial loan applications using forged supporting documents.

A seven-day remand order until May 28 against the five male suspects aged between 30 and 50 was issued by magistrate Siti Aisyah Umar Baki after an application was made by the MACC at the Sandakan Sessions Court on Thursday morning.

According to sources, all the suspects were detained between 2pm and 7pm on Wednesday after giving their statements at the MACC Sandakan Branch Office.

“They are suspected of committing the act between 2022 to 2024 which involved the approval of financing loans worth approximately RM11.3 million from 39 applicants.

“All the suspects are also believed to have received bribes in cash and also through transfer transactions to their respective bank accounts,” said the sources.

Sabah MACC director Datuk Karunanithy Y. Subbiah, when contacted, confirmed the arrest and said the case is being investigated under Section 16(a(A) of the MACC Act 2009.