Sabah Railway Dept contracts: MACC ropes in 5th suspect

Remand of earlier four suspects also extended.

The 60-year-old suspect being led to court by MACC officers.

KOTA KINABALU: Graft busters are widening their probe in the alleged wrongdoing of Sabah Railway Department contracts with the arrest of a fifth suspect.

The 60-year-old businessman was detained after he turned up at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here at 7pm on Saturday.

The company owner was produced before magistrate Cindy Mc Juce Balitus here today and was remanded for five days to help in MACC’s investigations.

The suspect, who is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009 for offering or giving of bribes, was represented by counsel Batholomew Jingulam.

The four earlier suspects, comprising three senior Sabah Railway Department officers, including a deputy director, and a company director who had been awarded railway contracts, also appeared before Balitus today at the expiry of their remand orders.

Balitus ordered their remand to be extended until Wednesday.

The four initial suspects being led to court by MACC officers for the extension of their remands.

Each of the men, aged between 38 and 58, were represented by their counsel, Sugumar Balakrishnan, Edward Paul, Ronnie Chiam and Luke Ressa Balang here today.

Prosecuting officer Mohd Faliq Basirudin, who represented MACC, had initially applied for a seven-day remand for all the suspects.

He told reporters outside the courtroom that MACC would apply for a remand extension if the need arose.

It is understood MACC will release an official statement on items seized from the suspects and other related information soon.

The first four suspects were arrested over the award of contracts between 2012 and 2017.

Two of the men are assistant engineers with the Sabah Railway Department. -FMT