MACC bus ferrying JPJ officers to court catches fire

Some of the 30 individuals, including 24 enforcement officers from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) being escorted by Malaysian Anti-Courruption Commission (MACC) officers at the Magistrate Court in George Town, Penang. Pic by: ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

GEORGE TOWN (Bernama): A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) bus carrying 30 people, including 24 Road Transport Department (JPJ) enforcement officers suspected of corruption, broke down on its way to the Magistrate's Court here Wednesday (April 17).

Bernama understands that the bus engine caught fire on the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway here, forcing the MACC officers to transfer the suspects into 10 cars.

With the help of the traffic police escorting them, all 10 cars reached the court's compound at 10.40am, just 10 minutes later than scheduled.

George Town Sessions Court senior assistant registrar Nurfadrina Zulkhairi then ordered all the suspects to be remanded for seven days until April 23 to assist in the probe into their alleged involvement in corruption by protecting lorry drivers who committed various traffic offences around Penang.

The case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009 and the suspects were among 33 individuals, aged between 31 and 54, who were arrested between 10am and 4pm on Tuesday (April 16) after having their statements recorded at the MACC office here.

Three of the suspects are women, who were all freed on MACC bail.

Media reports had earlier said that the JPJ personnel, officers between Grades 19 and 32, were believed to have accepted monthly payments of between RM10,000 and RM32,000 as inducement not to take action against the lorry drivers.

The lorries under their protection were also provided with special stickers prepared by “tontos” so that they could be easily identified and “exempted” from enforcement actions. – Bernama