Two Lecturers Probed in RM5 Million Bribery Case Linked to Research Funds
PUTRAJAYA, April 8 — Two lecturers from a private higher education institution are under investigation by the Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (MACC) over allegations of receiving approximately RM5 million in bribes tied to research projects.
Sources indicate that the case involves research projects valued at around RM13 million, with funds allegedly channelled into the lecturers’ personal bank accounts as well as paid in cash.
Also under investigation are a company officer linked to the oil sector and a director of an engineering firm, both believed to have acted as intermediaries in facilitating the transactions.
Preliminary findings suggest that the intermediaries helped secure research contracts for certain companies in exchange for illicit payments, while also enabling the misappropriation of research funds within the institution.
The alleged activities are believed to have taken place between 2019 and 2025, with some of the companies involved reportedly linked to relatives and associates of one of the lecturers.
Investigators suspect that all individuals involved worked in coordination, using multiple channels of payment to avoid detection.
The probe is understood to have begun in December 2025, leading to subsequent enforcement actions including arrests and asset tracking.
Earlier, MACC detained four individuals — two lecturers, a company officer and an engineering company director — to assist in the investigation.
The suspects, comprising three men and one woman in their 40s, were arrested while giving statements at the MACC office in Perak.
The Ipoh Magistrate’s Court has granted a four-day remand order until April 11 to facilitate further investigations.
In a related development, MACC has frozen approximately 70 bank accounts amounting to RM8.5 million, including both individual and corporate accounts.
Authorities have also seized seven vehicles worth around RM1.2 million as part of efforts to trace assets linked to the case.
MACC senior intelligence director Saiful Ezral Arifin confirmed that the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.
The case is seen as a significant development involving the education sector, raising broader concerns over governance and transparency in the management of research funds.
-wilayah.com.my
