MACC arrests CEO over probe into RM92.5bil spent by PN govt

 

The CEO was brought to the Putrajaya magistrates’ court this morning where he was ordered to be remanded for five days.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested the CEO of a private company for allegedly serving as a middleman in the distribution of government projects.

A source close to the matter linked the arrest to MACC’s investigation into the alleged misappropriation of Covid-19 stimulus packages worth RM92.5 billion by the former Perikatan Nasional-led (PN) government.

When contacted, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed the arrest and said the case was being investigated under Section 16 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.

The source said MACC had opened investigation papers into at least five individuals believed to have been involved in helping companies obtain projects worth between RM50 million to RM500 million through direct negotiations linked to the stimulus packages.

The source added that several contractors who were also questioned admitted to agreeing to pay a commission of between 3-5% to be deposited into the account of a political party, which was supposedly meant as political funding.

A source said the CEO, who was believed to have accepted bribes to connect contractors and other parties, was brought to the Putrajaya magistrates’ court this morning and remanded for five days.

According to the source, the 42-year-old CEO was arrested when he went to MACC’s headquarters in Putrajaya to provide evidence last night.

“Almost 90% of the projects that were given through direct negotiations have not been implemented as no acceptance letters were issued,” the source said.

“Thus, MACC will focus on investigating the remaining 10% of ongoing projects. These projects are currently at only 10% to 20% of work completed.”

On Dec 15 last year, MACC raided eight government agencies and nine companies as part of its investigation into the alleged misappropriation of RM92.5 billion by the PN-led government.

A source close to the matter said the eight government agencies received a “huge allocation” from the stimulus packages approved by the government in 2020 and 2021.

The source said that following the raids on the eight government agencies, MACC also raided nine companies “to obtain certain documents”. The nine companies are believed to be “major suppliers” of the eight agencies. - FMT