KUANTAN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained a civil servant and a government retiree over bribe allegations linked to timber theft in forest reserve areas around Kuala Lipis.
The two male suspects were believed to have received bribes of between RM500 and RM2,000 from a company owner from November 2019 until 2020 to cover up the illegal activity, according to a source.
The first suspect, aged 40, was arrested at about 2.30pm today (Jan 5) at the Raub MACC branch office when he turned up to give his statement, while the second suspect, aged 61, was nabbed at 7pm yesterday (Jan 4).
In a separate case, another civil servant has been detained for allegedly accepting bribes amounting to RM1,500 twice in December 2018 from an individual as an inducement for him to release the items seized by a government department involved in forestry activities.
The male suspect in his 40s was detained at the Raub MACC branch office at about 7pm yesterday when he came to give his statement.
Pahang MACC director Hairuzam Mohmad Amin@Hamim, when contacted, confirmed the arrests and said the cases were being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009. – Bernama