Minister’s political aide remanded

PUTRAJAYA: The political secretary to a Cabinet Minister has been remanded for six days over alleged misappropriation of some RM40mil from the Skills Development Fund Corp (SDFC).

The 61-year-old Datuk, who is an aide to Datuk Seri Richard Riot, would be held until Oct 3 to assist in the investigation.

Magistrate Azizah Ahmad al­­lowed the application by the Malay­sian Anti-Corruption Com­mission (MACC) when the suspect, clad in orange attire, was brought to the court here.

A member of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) from the Serian branch, he was arrested at the MACC headquarters here on Wednesday.

So far, five people have been detained over the case.

The others are the corporation’s chief executive, 58, secretary, 34, assistant financial officer, 32, and a company director, 38, who carries the honorific “Dr” title.

All the suspects are said to have collaborated with the company director to siphon the allocations provided by the Government over the past two years.

SDFC is a statutory body under the Human Resources Ministry. It is responsible for providing financial assistance in the form of loans to individuals such as school leavers, graduates and others interested in pursuing skills training at public or private institutions.

In the ongoing probe on the Great Alonioners Trading Corporation Bhd (Gatco) land deal, a former bank officer was the latest to be detained by the MACC.

The 54-year-old was arrested at 6.30pm on Wednesday when he was summoned to have his statements recorded.

The suspect is believed to be involved in falsifying documents related to the deal.

A five-day remand until Oct 2 has been granted by the court for him to assist in the case.

Earlier, two businessmen – both Datuks and also brothers – had their remand extended for another four days.

The suspects, aged 58 and 54, were arrested on Monday.

To date, the MACC has arrested four people in connection with this case.

Last week, a 69-year-old was the first to be picked up, following raids at five locations in the Klang Valley and Seremban on Aug 29.

The matter came to light when a group of settlers, who invested in the scheme, alleged there was corruption when the land was disposed of 13 years ago.

The conflict of the ownership of the land dates back to 1977 when Gatco was incorporated.

The company was formed by the National Union of Plantation Workers for the purpose of land development.

However, the scheme failed and Gatco went bankrupt and the appointed liquidators began negotiations to sell the land, which was sold to Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd in 2006, kicking off the dispute.