KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained 47 company directors for allegedly submitting false claims through the hiring incentive programme PenjanaKerjaya.
Those detained by the anti-graft body include 33 men and 14 women aged between 30 to 70, whose false claims for recruitment and training purposes range from RM450,000 to RM2 million, Free Malaysia Today reported.
Citing a source from MACC, the portal said that all 47 detainees will be brought before magistrates nationwide today to be remanded, in line with the Criminal Procedure Code.
It also reported that MACC deputy chief commissioner of operations Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya confirmed the arrests which were carried out under the MACC Act and the Penal Code.
He also urged those with details on the submission of false claims to come forward with their information, noting that MACC has identified the names and companies involved in acts which have violated the law.
“I guarantee that anyone involved who voluntarily comes forward and surrenders the (false) claims will not be charged in court. Those who remain stubborn will face stricter action,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier today, MACC senior investigations director Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed that the agency had detained four individuals, including two women, on suspicion of submitting documents that contained false details to the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
The document submitted to Perkeso involved claims amounting to about RM250,000, under Penjana 2.0.
In July last year, Socso announced that it had suspended the payments for PenjanaKerjaya programme amounting to RM423 million following misappropriation and false claims involving employers and training providers.
PenjanaKerjaya was introduced during the administration of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and is an employment incentive programme to encourage hiring local workers instead of foreign labour.
MACC also began investigating graft allegations that some RM100 million had been misappropriated through the programme, arresting 45 people in July last year. – The Vibes, May 16, 2023
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