Five remanded in Sandakan over RM200,000 bribery case
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Sabah has remanded five individuals — including engineers, assistant engineers, and former local authority staff — on suspicion of accepting bribes amounting to RM200,000 from contractors involved in local authority projects.
The seven-day remand order, effective until July 23, 2025, was issued by magistrate Yong Ching Hong at the Sandakan Magistrate's Court following an application by the MACC on Tuesday.
According to sources, the suspects — three men and two women aged between 30 and 50 — were detained at the Sabah MACC office around 7pm on Tuesday after being called in to give their statements.
'Preliminary investigations indicate that several officers and staff of the local authority allegedly received bribes via direct transfers to their personal accounts from several contractors starting in 2022,' the source said.
The alleged payments were believed to be in exchange for assistance in securing quotations and tenders for work under the jurisdiction of the local authority between 2022 and 2025.
Sabah MACC director Datuk S. Karunanithy, when contacted, confirmed the arrests and said the case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
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