MACC believes RM1.5 billion may have been embezzled in Sabah

Jason Santos Jason Santos Updated 6 years ago · Published on 6 Oct 2017 2:02PM · 2 Comments

MACC deputy chief commissioner for operations Azam Baki says no high-profile figures have been linked to the case yet. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, October 6, 2017.

THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission now believes its investigation into 15 firms in Sabah embezzling at least RM180 million in funds linked to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry is just the tip of the ice berg of bigger corruption scandal.

Anti-graft investigators believe they have uncovered a network of 60 firms that had colluded with officials to divert a staggering RM.1.5 billion in funds meant for development projects in rural Sabah.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy commissioner for operations Azam Baki said the amount was part of the RM7.5 billion allocated to Sabah from 2010 to 2016 for water and electricity supply projects.

“We are investigating the projects, some of which were done not according to specifications, or were not carried out at all.

“Money was also used by contractors for kickbacks to government officials,” Azam said at the Sabah MACC office in Kota Kinabalu today.

“We have not connected this case to any prominent figures yet, but we will call anyone who could help us in the probe and we will detain anyone who we believed is involved corruption.”

MACC had said that it had frozen private accounts containing about RM180 million in funds believed to be linked to the ministry.

Anti-corruption officers yesterday raided 15 locations in Sabah, including business and ministry offices as part of a probe into alleged embezzlement of government funds.

Three individuals were detained, including Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president, Peter Anthony.

Warisan president and former Umno minister Shafie Apdal, who once headed the ministry, has denied owning the 15 companies and said the ongoing probe was meant to destroy him.

Azam today said MACC was expanding its probe to cover up to 60 companies believed to be involved with the ministry. Irregularities had surfaced last year after the Sabah Water Department money-laundering investigation.

“We will look into this, as some of these companies may have already wound up over the past years,” he said.

MACC is expected to request for the extension of Anthony’s remand this afternoon.

The two others who were detained are being held at the MACC office in Putrajaya.

One person is an assistant permanent secretary at the ministry and the other is a 54-year-old contractor. – October 6, 2017.

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Comments

  • Good job MACC. Wheher it is political ploy or true grits in apprehending corruption it is already perceived that Umno or Ex-Umno ministers are corrupted to the core and this ills all started during the sly old fox and the sodomiser and now at it worst peak. Deplorable.!!!!!!!!!! The only dependable or somewhat quite clean politicians are the "non federal ministers to be" from the pure form of original opposition block. PH really have to be very stringent in the vetting of their candidates to be nominated as there are very heavy influx of tainted politicians in their fold. Better to nominate a young candidates but clean and no exposure to the greeds of wants. That will allow a time span to focus on eradicating all the ills without worryng about the ongoing and continuing corruptions. Those old corrupted politicians in the opposition block will not have the time and opportunity when newbies are all ears and eyes to deter them in doing so.

    Posted 6 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • If it's true, imagine the rest and still ongoing corruption in UMNO. Many times bigger than 1MDB. Who says we need GST?

    Posted 6 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply