Meat cartel scandal: Two Maqis officers remanded for five days over alleged involvement

JOHOR BARU (Bernama): Two officers from the state’s Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis), who were detained Wednesday (Jan 8) night to assist in the investigation of the frozen meat cartel case, were remanded for five days starting Thursday (Jan 7).

The remand order until January 11 was issued by the Johor Baru Subordinate Courts’ Assistant Registrar Nur Izzaty Muhammad Zahari after allowing the remand applications by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The remand period would allow the two suspects, aged 27 and 31 years old, respectively, to be further investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.

The two, who were stationed at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Gelang Patah in Iskandar Puteri, near here, were detained at the state MACC headquarters at about 11pm Wednesday night after they were suspected of accepting bribes for the smuggling activities.

On Dec 2,2020, Maqis unearthed the cartel's activities which brought in meat without a halal certificate, before placing fake halal logos on the meat, for sale in the local market.

In another development, four other individuals comprising three company directors and a clerk, who were also remanded for four days in connection with the same scandal, were released on MACC bail of RM10,000 each after their remand periods ended Thursday.

All the suspects, aged between 39 and 50 years old, had been remanded for four days starting Monday (Jan 4) by the Magistrate's Court here. - Bernama