Former Tekun boss faces graft charge

PETALING JAYA: A former managing director and chief executive officer of Tekun Nasional is expected to be charged with corruption today.

A team of Malaysian Anti-Cor­­rup­­tion Commission (MACC) officers detained the 62-year-old Datuk at his house in Bukit Bandaraya, Shah Alam, at 5.15pm yesterday.

They trailed him from a private medical centre before making the arrest.

It is learnt that the suspect, who was held overnight at the MACC office in Putrajaya, will be brought to the Shah Alam Sessions Court to be charged.

He has just returned home on Saturday after performing the Um­­rah.

As a precautionary measure, a medical check-up was conducted on the suspect to ensure that he is fit to attend today’s proceedings.

The suspect was said to have solicited a bribe of RM36,000 as an inducement to help speed up claims made by a registered debt collection company.

“The bribe is equivalent to 10% of the outstanding amount due to Tekun for November 2014.

“The suspect was first picked up in Kelab Shah Alam on Jan 15, 2015, after receiving the bribes,” said a source.

He was, however, released after his remand was over and MACC only recently obtained consent to charge him.

It is learnt the company was appointed by the suspect to carry out debt collection from defaulters with over two years of outstanding dues.

The MACC is also checking for links between the suspect and Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman, now being probed for alleged corruption, abuse of power and money laundering.

Both the suspect and Mohd Arif were former board directors of Tekun.

“We want to see if they have connections and were involved in questionable deals,” added the source.

Mohd Arif was the former secretary-general of the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry, which oversees Tekun, an agency that provides macro credit and financing to small entrepreneurs.

On Oct 16, 2015, Mohd Arif was appointed the Rural and Regional Development Ministry secreta­ry-general, and is still holding the post.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the suspect had been detained and that the MACC would be charging him today.

The suspect was said to have received the “Outstanding CEO of the Year” award during an Asso­cia­tion of Development Finan­cing Ins­­ti­­tutions in Asia and the Pacific meeting.

He was appointed to helm the agency in 2008. His contract was ter­­mi­­nated in Decem­ber 2014.

It was not the first time the suspect was charged. In November 2015, the he was slapped with two graft charges linked to his family members.