The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained a former Malaysian Army chief, his two wives and two other individuals as part of an intensifying investigation into alleged corruption involving defence procurement tenders. The arrests were confirmed on January 8, 2026, following a series of developments that have widened the scope of the probe into military acquisitions.
According to MACC, the former army chief and his two spouses were taken into custody at about 7.00pm on January 7, 2026, after they voluntarily presented themselves at the commission’s headquarters in Putrajaya to provide statements. Their detention followed the arrest a day earlier of another married couple believed to have links to the same case.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed that all five individuals were being held to assist investigators examining alleged irregularities in Malaysian Army procurement tenders. The couple detained on January 6 had already been remanded for seven days to facilitate investigations.
The arrests came amid heightened scrutiny of defence-related contracts, particularly those awarded through the Army Responsibility Centre. On December 23, 2025, MACC announced that it had expanded its investigation to include the Ministry of Defence, focusing on projects awarded via open tenders and the processes used to approve them. Investigators are assessing whether procurement procedures were manipulated and whether a network of individuals benefited improperly from defence contracts.
The probe escalated further on January 7, 2026, when MACC obtained five-day remand orders for 17 company directors suspected of being part of a cartel linked to army procurement tenders. Authorities believe these directors may have coordinated bids or influenced tender outcomes in ways that violated procurement rules and anti-corruption laws.
Earlier, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin had announced that the former army chief was placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation, a move aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the inquiry. In a related development, Lieutenant General Datuk Azhan Md Othman, who previously served as Chief of Staff at the Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters, was appointed as the 31st Malaysian Army chief with effect from January 1, 2026.
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