KOTA KINABALU: A married couple has been arrested by graft busters on suspicion of making false claims amounting to more than RM650,000 to utility company Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) over the supply of diesel.
According to a source, the man and his wife, aged in their 50s and 60s, were formerly the chief executive officer and executive director of a private company when they were involved in submitting at least 15 false claims to SESB.
“Initial probe found that the suspects made the 15 claims in 2013 over contracts to supply diesel to be used for the generator set acquired by the company they worked in,” said the source on Tuesday (Oct 15).
However, the actual quantity of diesel supplied did not match the claims that were submitted, he added.
The source said the suspects were detained when they came to give their statements at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here at 10.55am on Tuesday.
Sabah MACC director Datuk S. Karunanithy confirmed the arrest, when contacted, saying the couple was being investigated under Section 471 of the Penal Code for using as genuine a forged document.
He added the duo would be charged at the Special Corruption Court in the east coast Tawau district on Thursday (Oct 17).
He also warned that those found guilty of being involved in forgery activities could be jailed up to two years or fined, or both.
In an unrelated case, the MACC detained a government retiree for allegedly accepting a RM16,000 bribe to expedite a land ownership transfer process in Tawau.
According to a source, the suspect, aged in his 60s, was detained when he came to provide his statement at the Tawau MACC office at 10.30am on Tuesday.
“Based on early investigations, the suspect is believed to have solicited and accepted a bribe to speed up the ownership transfer process for a 12-acre land in Tawau,” the source said.
Karunanithy said the case was being investigated under Section 165 of the Penal Code (regarding the acceptance of gifts by public servants), adding the suspect will be charged at the Tawau Special Corruption Court on Wednesday (Oct 16).
