KUALA LUMPUR: An officer from an enforcement agency in Kuching, Sarawak, has been remanded by graft busters for allegedly receiving bribes from a diesel smuggling syndicate operating in Sibu.
The male assistant enforcement officer, in his 40s, has been remanded for six days until Sept 2.
Magistrate Mason Jaro granted the remand application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at a Kuching Magistrate's Court on Tuesday (Aug 27).
Sources said the suspect was detained at the Sarawak MACC office at about 3.25pm on Monday (Aug 26), when he was giving his statement.
"His arrest was a follow-up to Ops Liter, which was conducted by the MACC Special Operation Division at a fuel depot at Sungai Bidut, Sibu last Sunday (Aug 25).
"The suspect is believed to have received bribes from the syndicate in exchange for protecting the subsidised diesel smuggling activity and not taking any legal action against them," the source said.
Meanwhile, MACC Special Operation Division senior director Datuk Azmi Kamaruzaman confirmed the arrest, when contacted.
"The case is being investigated under Section 16(b)(B) of the MACC Act 2009.
"We are not ruling out the possibility that followup action and other arrests will be made soon," he said.
