PUTRAJAYA: A businessman with a Datuk title and eight high-ranking officials of companies were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Wednesday over alleged corruption involving a RM85 million project of a think-tank agency that comes under a ministry.
Sources said the suspects who are aged between 34 and 58 comprised four company owners, a medical adviser, an accountant, a director, a chief executive officer and a chief operations officer.
It is learnt that two of the suspects had allegedly demanded and received kickbacks worth almost RM15 million from three of the company owners in MACC’s custody.
Sources said the bribes were paid to secure grants from the project of the think-tank and automotive technology development agency through three proxy companies between 2018 and 2020.
The suspects, including a woman, were arrested at the MACC headquarters here after being summoned for questioning and were remanded between three and eight days from today at the Putrajaya Magistrates Court here.
MACC special operations director Datuk Tan Kang Sai confirmed the arrests when contacted by theSun.