PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has remanded six individuals, including two women, for allegedly being involved in a syndicate selling fake awards bearing the title "Tan Sri", with payments totalling around RM2 million.
The suspects, three men and one woman aged between their 30s and 50s were detained on Nov 30 at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya while giving statements.
The two additional suspects, a woman in her 40s and a man in his 30s, were separately detained on Dec 4 and 6.
A source said that the most recent suspect, arrested around 3pm in Melaka yesterday, is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) president suspected to be the mastermind in setting prices for individuals interested in obtaining prestigious medals.
He allegedly directed another syndicate member, the second suspect, a man in his 50s posing as a Tengku, to collect payments from approximately six other individuals seeking the honours without going through the regular procedures.
The authorities believe the second suspect's wife was involved with two other individuals posing as businesspeople from an agricultural-based company, managing the financial transactions.
"This syndicate is believed to have been operating since 2020 and has deceived several victims, resulting in losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of ringgit.
"They presented pictures and documents from a government agency to convince victims that the titles and medals arranged through back channels were genuinely authentic.
"One male victim in his 50s is believed to have paid approximately RM1.2 million to obtain the title Tan Sri through several bank transactions to this syndicate.
MACC is currently working to locate five more individuals who are believed to have fallen victim to this syndicate.
The payment amounts vary according to the level of honours, such as RM150,000 for the title 'Datuk' and RM250,000 for 'Datuk Seri', while the title 'Tan Sri' is valued at around RM2 million.
Following the arrests, three of the detained suspects had their remand extended for three days, from Dec 6 to 8, while one suspect was released on MACC bail.
"The female suspect detained on Dec 4 had her remand extended for four days, from Dec 5 to 8, while the main suspect had his remand extended for five days from yesterday until Dec 11, following a remand order issued by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court yesterday," the source added.
Meanwhile, MACC Investigation Division senior director Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed the arrests and stated that the investigation is being conducted under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.
He added that the MACC is currently tracking down several other suspects believed to be involved in the syndicate.