High-ranking military officer arrested in Pahang over 'graft network' probe
NST
KUALA LUMPUR: Anti-graft officers arrested a high-ranking military officer in Pahang yesterday for allegedly receiving gratification from contractors servicing military infrastructure.
The 57-year-old officer, bearing a Lt Col rank and attached to the Defence Engineering Services Division's Eastern Zone Maintenance Unit, was detained at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Temerloh about 2.30pm.
Sources said the suspect had allegedly abused his power by awarding contracts to several proxy companies, which siphoned between 8 and 10 per cent of each project's amount for the suspect, before chanelling the rest to other companies to do the actual maintenance works.
One of the proxy companies is owned by his father, and his wife is the director.
“The work requirements of the maintenance and services projects, which were awarded by the division in 2015 and 2016, were validated and approved by the suspect.
“It is understood that after receiving payment demands work from the Defence Ministry’s headquarters, the proxy companies were believed to have channelled money to the suspect through an affiliate account or in cash,” the commission said in a statement.
MACC said an associate company of the suspect had transactions amounting to more than RM1 million in the last two years since 2014.
“One of the suspect’s associates had carried out a cash withdrawal in a suspicious amount despite being only a low-ranked military pensioner,” it added.
The suspect was said to be using the same modus operandi with more than 50 companies operating in Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Sources said the MACC also believed such things had occurred in every zone, resulting in millions of ringgit in losses for the government every year.
"MACC is currently examining information received regarding these activities that have taken place over the past few years and believe there is involvement of various parties, including the top management," the statement read.
MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (Operations) Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the arrest and did not rule out the possibility of more arrests in relation to the investigation of this case.
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