In graft crackdown, MACC goes after ‘Tan Sri’, seizes Ferrari, Rolls-Royce
MalayMailOnline
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is moving into top gear in its war against graft and power abuse by aiming to stem the problem at the source, as two recent cases have shown.
After nabbing a “Datuk” bank executive suspected of corruption last week, the MACC has now identified a “Tan Sri” senior bank executive reportedly linked to misappropriating a whopping RM15 million in a book deal, Mingguan Malaysia reported today.
The weekend edition of Utusan Malaysia cited an unnamed source as saying the “Tan Sri” had used two law firms as fronts for the transactions before moving the money into several other bank accounts.
“It was understood when the law firms were established, the firms involved only had funds of around RM2,000. However, our latest find shows they now have hundreds of thousands of ringgit,” the anonymous source was quoted as saying.
The MACC was investigating allegations of corruption involving a contract for a book deal on a national leader through a tender system said to be worth RM15 million that was awarded to a city-based publisher. However, the book reportedly never went to print.
The commission arrested eight people last week to help with investigations, including the “Datuk”, another executive of the same bank, the publishing company’s managing director and one of its employees. They are currently held under a three-day remand order. The other four people have since been released. They are: two female lawyers, a book writer and the wife of a bank officer.
In a separate case, another Malay daily reported today that the MACC have confiscated six luxury vehicles and a two-storey house pending its investigations into allegations of power abuse associated with a multi-million-ringgit oil pipeline project.
News reports differed on how much the project cost, with figures ranging between RM67 million and RM76 million.
Berita Harian cited an anonymous source as listing the vehicles as four Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Toyota cars and two motorcycles.
The source was also reported as saying that a contractor involved in the case submitted a falsified invoice for the project with the help of the project manager and a manager of the oil exploration company.
“All believed to have done the activity to obtain additional funds for personal use,” the unnamed source told Berita Harian.
The newspaper also reported two managers and six contractors were picked up from separate locations in Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu, Malacca and Negri Sembilan last Friday and are under a five-day remand order that will expire on Tuesday
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