KUALA LUMPUR: Nine individuals, including five enforcement personnel have been remanded for eight days on suspicion of soliciting and accepting bribes to amend the specifications of commercial vehicle engines from regular diesel vehicles to green diesel vehicles.
A source from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said the remand order was issued after the agency filed the applications at the Magistrates' Courts in Ipoh, Putrajaya, Johor Baru and Kota Kinabalu yesterday (November 21).
"The remand orders were granted from yesterday until November 28 (Tuesday). Another individual acting as an agent in Selangor was released on MACC bail after his statement was recorded," according to the source when contacted here today.
On Monday (November 20), the MACC reportedly detained 10 individuals aged between 33 and 66, between 11 am and 3 pm in several states to assist investigations into the case.
According to the source, the modus operandi of the syndicate was to make amendments to vehicle data or details to obtain green diesel status.
"The syndicate is believed to have been active from around 2019 to last year, and the estimated value of bribery is around RM1.28 million for the five enforcement officers involved, comprising three men and two women," said the source.
The source also said that government revenue loss from the syndicate's activities is estimated to be around RM12.73 million from 2018 to last year.
MACC Intelligence director Datuk Azmi Kamaruzaman in confirming the arrests added that the case is being investigated under Section 16 (a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009. — Bernama