JOHOR BARU – Six individuals, including three civil servants, were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in Johor early yesterday on suspicion of accepting bribes from contractors involving projects worth millions of ringgit.
Sources said among those arrested are a district engineer and two assistant engineers, aged 38, 44 and 31, respectively.
Separately, the three contractors were picked up to assist in the probe for allegedly bribing the three civil servants in relation to the projects offered by their government agency in a Johor district in 2018.
“All of the contractors involved, aged between 31 and 44, are believed to have control of 11 companies registered in their names, as well as proxies, to monopolise the agency’s projects in the district,” said the source.
“It is estimated that the monopolised projects amount to millions of ringgit, from 2018 to 2021.”
The bribes allegedly included holiday packages, cash and a boat.
The case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009 that provides for imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and a fine of five times the value of the bribe upon conviction.
The six suspects arrived at the magistrates’ court here about 8.30am for remand under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Five were remanded for seven days until August 1, while one of the assistant engineers was remanded until Friday. – Bernama, July 26, 2021
