MACC remands 2 more individuals in the fertilizer procurement cartel case worth RM60 million
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) remanded two more individuals, including the chairman of a foreign company, who were believed to have been offered a rice fertilizer purchase project by an agricultural organization.
A five-day remand order was issued by Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court Registrar, Syahrul Sazly Md Sain, against both suspects today.
According to sources, the two male suspects, who are in their 40s to 50s, were arrested while giving evidence at the MACC headquarters here late yesterday afternoon.
“The results of the initial investigation found that the main suspect, who is the Manager of the Promotion and Marketing Division of the organization, had received a quote from the representative of the company involved to obtain approval from the Chairman of the Organization.
“The chairman of the organization has given approval to appoint the foreign company without price comparison or through the Board of Directors.
“The fertilizer supply contract worth approximately RM60 million through direct negotiation has been made within a period of only six days around June 2022, while the foreign company has never received any work from the organization before,” he said.
Meanwhile, MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed the arrest and said the case was investigated under Section 16 (a)(a) MACC Act 2009
As of today, three individuals have been arrested, including a company marketing executive who was remanded yesterday until November 2, 2024.
The government has allocated as much as RM1.8 billion for the procurement of national agricultural fertilizers.