THREE individuals were today arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in connection with the Felda Investment Corporation (FIC) purchase of a hotel in Kuching, Sarawak in 2014.

A source said two of the individuals are directors of the company that was the appointed agent in the hotel purchase.

The two, aged 47 and 51, were arrested while they were giving their statements at the MACC office in Putrajaya around 9am.

The third suspect, a 57-year-old company director, was arrested at the Kuching MACC office around 1.30pm.

“The director was allegedly involved in appointing the agent,” said the source.

MACC Investigation Department director Simi Abd Ghani, when contacted, confirmed the arrests, saying the two company directors arrested in Putrajaya would be remanded until August 4 to assist investigations.

MACC is expected to get the remand order for the third suspect in court tomorrow morning.

Yesterday, MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad said a probe had been initiated into a second FIC hotel acquisition.

The MACC investigation into FIC’s purchase of a London hotel had unearthed the information that FIC had paid above market price for a Kuching hotel, he said.

Dzulkifli said MACC officers confiscated documents believed to contain information on the purchase of the hotel. 

“We will study the documents to check for elements of bribery or misuse of power.”

The London hotel under investigation is believed to be the Grand Plaza Kensington Hotel, which was bought by FIC in December 2014 for £60 million (RM330 million).

The Grand Plaza Kensington is a four-star hotel with 62 guest rooms, located at Lexham Gardens within the exclusive district of Kensington and Chelsea.

MACC has detained two people to assist in the investigation. – July 29, 2017.