JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained three more Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis) enforcement officers over the meat cartel scandal.
The trio, aged from 40 to 55, were arrested at the Johor MACC headquarters at around 7pm on Monday (Jan 18).
The suspects were detained for alleged bribery pertaining to import of frozen meat which did not receive the Veterinary Department's approval.
They are being remanded for five days until Jan 23 to help with the investigations under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2019.
It is learnt that the Maqis officers were stationed at Tanjung Pelepas Port, Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex and in Muar prior to their arrest.
When contacted, Johor MACC director Datuk Azmi Alias confirmed the arrests. However, he declined to comment further as the case was still under investigation.
In total, MACC have detained five Maqis enforcement officers following investigations into the meat cartel scandal.
On Monday, Bernama reported that the MACC had called 27 witnesses, including workers, import agents and government officers, to have their statements recorded.
The agency said its investigations were focused on the offences under the MACC Act 2009, which are related to accepting bribes, making false claims and document falsification.
"At present, the MACC is still analysing the information, gathering evidence and making several more arrests to complete the investigations," it said.
According to the statement, eight suspects have been remanded over the case since Jan 4.
It also said that the Johor MACC had arrested a 36-year-old company director in Johor Baru on Sunday (Jan 17), who is under remand for six days.
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