KUALA LUMPUR: Two hotels valued at RM2mil and 21 bank accounts were frozen as investigations intensified into alleged corruption linked to procurement projects involving the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM).
Sources said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe, codenamed Ops Layar, saw seven company accounts and 14 personal accounts with a combined total of RM700,000, frozen.
“The move follows investigations into the companies believed to be involved in corrupt practices by way of recommending and appointing firms linked to a senior Navy officer,” a source said.
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Sources added that investigations by the MACC Intelligence Division also led to the seizure of two hotels owned by a senior Navy officer, which are estimated to be worth RM2mil.
“The MACC is also verifying with the Accountant General’s Department to determine if any tenders or quotations were awarded to the companies under investigation.
“The MACC is currently tracing other assets believed to be owned by the suspect, including identifying the owners of the companies suspected of colluding with him,” the source said.
When contacted, MACC Intelligence Division senior director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin confirmed the matter, saying that statements had been recorded from seven individuals and that investigations are still ongoing.
It was previously reported that two individuals, including a senior Navy officer, were remanded by the MACC for alleged corruption involving the recommendation and appointment of a company to secure projects under investigation. The duo were remanded for seven days until Jan 29.
Sources said the suspects, a company director and the senior Navy officer, aged in their 40s and 50s, were detained at about 6.50pm and 9.40pm on Jan 22 after turning up to have their statements recorded at the MACC office in Ipoh.
“Initial investigations revealed that the two suspects are believed to have colluded in the offence between 2017 and 2020.
“Investigations also found that the senior Navy officer is suspected of possessing assets disproportionate to his declared income, including ownership of eight properties comprising three houses, three shop lots and two hotels registered under his name,” the source said.
The source added that investigators also detected suspicious fund transfers amounting to about RM2mil into the officer’s personal bank account, as well as two hotel company accounts linked to him.
The case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009.
