KUALA LUMPUR – Former finance minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan have become the latest individuals to be investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
A source familiar with the matter confirmed that the duo had their statements recorded at the MACC headquarters today, as the anti-graft body continues its crackdown on alleged corruption committed by the past administration.
It is understood that both individuals were questioned as part of the investigation into the multi-billion-ringgit Jana Wibawa government stimulus initiative, in which Bersatu president and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is a suspect.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed yesterday that Tengku Zafrul would be called in to have his statement recorded to facilitate investigations into the Jana Wibawa scheme.
For Wan Saiful, who is Tasek Gelugor MP, this is the second time he has been summoned for questioning, after giving his statement to the graft busters earlier this month.
Meanwhile, in an invitation to the press tonight, the MACC said two individuals will be charged at the Kuala Lumpur sessions court tomorrow morning in relation to Jana Wibawa. However, the agency did not mention their names.
The Vibes understands that one of them is a senior politician.
When contacted, Bersatu supreme council member Dr Muhammad Faiz Na’aman confirmed that Wan Saiful was called in by the MACC today but was not able to provide further details.
“I can’t confirm if he has been detained. All I know is Wan Saiful was summoned by the MACC for the second time today. I don’t have further details,” he said when contacted.
“Bersatu leaders who have been called in for questioning tend not to talk in detail about their investigation to me.”
The Vibes is attempting to contact Tengku Zafrul and Wan Saiful for comments but has yet to receive a response from both parties.
Yesterday, controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin posted a video claiming that Wan Saiful will be among three individuals who will be charged by the MACC in the coming weeks.
The two others are purportedly Muhyiddin and Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad, who was arrested by the MACC last month on suspicion of being a middleman in the distribution of government projects between 2020 and 2022.
Raja Petra said the case involves the Jana Wibawa initiative.
He also alleged that Tengku Zafrul had previously appointed Malaysian Bumiputera Contractors’ Association president Datuk Azman Yusoff to help identify Bumiputera contractors in need of assistance, but that the latter then received a commission from each of them.
The blogger further alleged that Azman has been given immunity after agreeing to be a key prosecution witness in the case.
In Wan Saiful’s case, Raja Petra claimed that the probe into him involves alleged millions of ringgit in his bank account.
Previously on Saturday, Muhyiddin confirmed that he had given his statement to the MACC on Jana Wibawa, but said he is merely a witness in the case and not a suspect.
Sources from the anti-graft body later told several media outlets that Muhyiddin is indeed a suspect, while MACC chief Azam cautioned those called up for questioning against concluding their status in the investigation.
Tengku Zafrul had said previously that he was prepared to be investigated for his involvement in Jana Wibawa and that he had nothing to hide.
Jana Wibawa, also known as “Program Jana Ekonomi Pemerkasaan Kontraktor Bumiputera Berwibawa”, was aimed at expediting project execution by Bumiputera contractors, as part of moves to boost the country’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The scheme involved pre-qualification tenders or direct awards in accordance with Finance Ministry guidelines on direct award processes. – The Vibes, February 20, 2023
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