KOTA KINABALU (Oct 26): A senior government officer and a woman were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for allegedly accepting bribes for the supply of raw materials for the maintenance and repair of schools around Kudat worth about RM600,000.
According to sources, the suspects in their 40s, were arrested at about 3pm on Friday after giving their statements at the Sabah MACC office.
The two man and woman were brought to the Kota Kinabalu Court on Saturday morning for a four-day remand order starting Oct 26 until Oct 30.
One of the suspects is a senior officer working at a district education office in Sabah and is believed to have accepted bribes between 2023 to 2024 through deposit into his proxy’s bank account.
The suspect is believed to have accepted the bribes in return for colluding to appoint several suppliers in the procurement of direct purchases and quotations for the supply of raw materials for the maintenance and repair of schools in the district, said the sources.
The sources added the arrests were a follow up of the detention of a businessman for submitting claims containing false details to a district education office in Sabah involving the supply of raw materials for the maintenance and repair of schools worth approximately RM45,000.
Sabah MACC director Datuk S. Karunanithy confirmed the arrests and said the case is being investigated under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009.
Recently, Kudat member of parliament Datuk Verdon Bahanda revealed the issue of a cartel misappropriating school funds involving the Kudat District Education Office during a speech on the 2025 Budget policy debate in Parliament and urged the MACC to conduct an investigation.
