Agency director among 8 nabbed in vehicle inspection probe

 

The eight suspects were detained by the MACC at various locations in Melaka and the Klang Valley today.

PETALING JAYA: 

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested another eight people today, including a director of a government agency and three company directors, in connection with its corruption probe involving heavy vehicle inspections.

A source from the MACC said the suspects, aged between 30 and 50, were detained at various locations in Melaka and the Klang Valley, under Op Loader, between 9am and noon today.

The source said the suspects were believed to be involved in securing approval letters for commercial vehicle licences (LKP) without meeting the requirements of the transport ministry.

“The firms involved are suspected of colluding with agency officers and providing false information in order to obtain approval letters for new LKP applications. RM3,500 was allegedly paid for each application,” the source said.

The source said the companies also facilitated applications for other firms, and this included falsifying documents such as bank statements.

Investigations revealed that bribes ranging from RM3,000 to RM20,000 were collected by the companies, depending on the type and age of the vehicle, as well as the financial capacity of the firms seeking these licences, the source said.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya confirmed the arrests and said that the case is being investigated under Sections 16 and 17 of the MACC Act.

The suspects, he said, will be brought to the magistrates’ court in Putrajaya tomorrow morning for remand.

13 vehicle inspectors arrested

Separately, 13 more vehicle inspection officers have been detained by the MACC in connection with a case involving heavy vehicle inspections at a Kuala Lumpur Puspakom centre.

According to a source from MACC, the male suspects, aged between 20 and 40, were nabbed between 1pm and 2pm yesterday and between 10am and 3pm today when they were called in to provide statements at the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Putrajaya.

“Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspects allegedly received monthly bribes ranging from RM150 to RM1,500 from runners as a reward for facilitating the approval of vehicle inspections at their respective workplaces,” the source said.

The arrests were made following the detention of six vehicle inspectors on Monday and stemmed from the interrogation of an agent handed over by the road transport department earlier.

To date, the MACC had arrested 22 people, including 19 vehicle inspectors, one agent, and two runners.

Khusairi also confirmed these arrests and said the case is being investigated under Section 16(b)(A) of the MACC Act.

He added that the 13 vehicle inspectors arrested yesterday and today would be released on MACC bail after their statements had been recorded. - FMT