PUTRAJAYA: Perlis Mentri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli spent about eight hours in Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detention, answering questions on allegations of power abuse involving his son and himself.
Confirming this, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said his officers had indeed summoned the Mentri Besar yesterday.
“He was asked to explain allegations concerning his son. He was also required to answer questions concerning himself,” Azam said.
However the MACC chief did not spell out details of the investigation.
ALSO READ: MACC quizzing MB is not a big deal, says exco man
Mohd Shukri arrived at the MACC headquarters at about 11am.
Sometime yesterday afternoon, a post by the administrator of Mohd Shukri’s Facebook page said the Mentri Besar was not remanded and was allowed to return home after providing his statement.
However, it was around 7.15pm before a picture of Mohd Shukri leaving the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya was posted on his Facebook page.
ALSO READ: Don't jump to conclusions on MACC probe on Perlis MB, says Zahid
In the post, he said he had finished giving his statement and thanked MACC officers for being professional in carrying out their duties.
Azam said Mohd Shukri was released on MACC bail after investigators had taken his statement.It is understood that he is being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 for abuse of power involving infrastructure and development projects, including upgrading, maintenance, and supply and service, in the state since 2022.
A day earlier, the MACC was reported to have initiated a probe against a leader of a northern state over claims that he had given projects to companies in which he had vested interest.
There were allegations that the leader had appointed several companies, in which his son had an interest, for road maintenance and repair works involving about RM1mil in allocation from the Mentri Besar’s Office.
MACC investigators had remanded six men, including Mohd Shukri’s son, to assist in investigations into a case of producing falsified documents to make RM600,000 in claims since 2022.
Two civil servants in the Mentri Besar’s Office and the State Secretary’s Office and three company contractors were also detained.
Commenting on the matter, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi maintained that the MACC was not a political tool and that the agency was just doing its job in summoning the Mentri Besar.
“We must let the MACC investigate and do its job. There should not be attempts to politicise cases investigated by the agency,” he said at a Hari Raya gathering.
