PUTRAJAYA: Three company owners, including two "Datuks", have been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for alleged bribery.
According to a source, the trio are suspected of bribing civil servants to turn a blind eye to the smuggling of cigarettes and alcohol into the country.
"They are believed to have been bribing civil servants from 2018 until 2023," said the source.
They were arrested at MACC's headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday night after providing their statements to the authorities.
A one-day remand order was obtained for the two "Datuks", while the other suspect was remanded for three days. All three suspects are in their 30s.
The arrest of the trio is part of a special operation that began on Monday, involving MACC's Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Division, the Inland Revenue Board, and Bank Negara Malaysia.
On Monday, it was reported that eight people, including four civil servants, were nabbed for alleged collusion with a syndicate smuggling cigarettes and alcohol into the country.
Houses, cars, cash, mobile phones, and laptops worth nearly RM6 million were also seized in the special operation yesterday. A total of 237 bank accounts, holding some RM12 million, were also frozen.
The syndicate is believed to have paid "several individuals" bribes amounting to RM8 million.
Of that amount, some RM5 million are believed to have been paid to the civil servants who were nabbed.
When contacted today, MACC's AML director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin, confirmed the arrests of the three company owners.
The case is being investigated under Section 17 (b) of the MACC Act 2009 for bribery.