JOHOR BARU May 1- The CEO of a water company and the owner of the company have been recently apprehended by the Johor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as part of its investigation into senior executives of the state water utility allegedly accepting kickbacks in connection with contract projects and fraudulent claims.
The arrests of the two male suspects, aged 38 and 35, took place at 4 pm yesterday at the Selangor MACC office in Section 16, Shah Alam. The investigation was launched by Johor MACC investigators following numerous complaints received since last year.
What Suspect Say?
The two suspects were found to have accepted bribes from the owners of two outsourcing contractor firms in exchange for ensuring that they would receive service and supply contracts from the water supply company.
According to sources from the MACC, the individuals in question were implicated in the submission of a fraudulent document related to a donation request for a program totaling RM3.3 million, which was never completely carried out. This information was disclosed earlier today.
It has been reported that the pair of suspects, who are currently being held by MACC investigators in Selangor, have been transferred to the MACC branch in Johor to assist with legal proceedings.
Director’s Announcement
In an official announcement, the Director of MACC in Johor, Datuk Azmi Alias, verified the apprehension of the two suspects. The transfer of the suspects to the Johor MACC office is part of the process to ensure that they can participate in the upcoming court proceedings related to the alleged fraudulent activity.
The case is currently under investigation under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009, about the alleged act of corruptly soliciting or accepting gratification, as well as Section 18 of the same Act, which deals with the provision of false documents to deceive. It is anticipated that the suspects will be presented before the magistrates’ court today, where the MACC investigators will seek a remand application for further proceedings.
The Magistrate’s Court in this jurisdiction recently approved a one-day remand order for two senior managers from a Johor water utility company, following an ongoing investigation by MACC.
Senior Assistant Registrar Nurzihan Abdul Rehman was responsible for issuing the remand order against the two male suspects, aged 36 and 40. Nevertheless, the suspects were released yesterday after their remand order expired.
