KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Kedah branch has detained a businessman for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe, amounting to RM400,000, in exchange for securing land use rights from a state government subsidiary.
According to an MACC source, the suspect, a man in his 40s, has been remanded for five days, starting today. The remand order was issued by Magistrate Siti Norhidayah Mohd Noor, following an application by MACC at the Alor Setar Magistrate’s Court, this morning.
The businessman was arrested at Kedah MACC office around 3.25 pm yesterday when he turned up to provide a statement.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspect solicited the bribe in exchange for facilitating land use rights for a joint venture project. The offence is believed to have been committed in June 2020,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Kedah MACC director Datuk Ahmad Nizam Ismail confirmed the arrest, and that the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.