Husband and wife lecturers remanded over abuse of power

MELAKA: A Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) husband and wife lecturers were remanded for five days to assist investigations into alleged abuse of power over the purchase of laboratory items.

The remand order was issued by the magistrate Analia Kamaruddin at 11.35am after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) filed the remand application today.

© Provided by Media Prima Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) husband and wife lecturers were remanded for five days to assist investigations into alleged abuse of power over the purchase of laboratory items. Pix by Muhammad Hatim Ab…

The 35-year-old husband, a senior lecturer and the 32-year-old wife, a lecturer from another faculty, arrived at the Magistrates Court here for the remand proceedings at 11.05am. The couple were handcuffed and clad in orange lock-up attire.

The husband was from UTeM's mechanical engineering faculty while the wife was from engineering technology faculty.

The couple were arrested after they presented themselves at the MACC office at about 2pmyesterday to assist investigations under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 for the offence of using office or position for gratification.

It is learnt that the allgedoffence took place between March 2015 and June 2016.

According to a MACC source, the duo were believed to have proposed to their university's faculty management to select a company for the purchase of disposable laboratory items and research services worth RM52,000.

Investigations later found that the company belonged to the couple.

Their arrests were confirmed by MACC Investigations Department director Datuk Simi Abd Ghani yesterday. -nst