RM1.5bil siphoned off over six years

Facing the law: The senior civil servant covering her face as she is escorted away at the Magistrate’s Court in Putrajaya.

KOTA KINABALU: For six years between 2009 and 2015, a total of RM1.5bil was siphoned off from federal projects worth RM7.5bil, depriving the rural poor of water supply, electricity and roads.

A group of politicians, businessmen and civil servants are believed to have systematically siphoned out a full 20% of the funds meant for projects for the rural poor, according to graftbusters.