KUALA LUMPUR – Two former local authority enforcement officers have been arrested for taking RM18,000 as bribes to shut down a money laundering investigation, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said.
The agency, in a statement, said the two suspects, both men in their 30s, had posed as police officers from Bukit Aman’s Special Branch and gone to the victim’s office in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday last week.
“The suspects told the victim that MACC had opened a case (on the victim) involving an offence under the money laundering act.
“A day later, the suspects returned to the victim’s office and asked for a bribe of about RM18,000 in return for closing the investigation,” MACC’s statement said.
The victim handed over RM10,000 cash to the suspects and promised to give the balance of RM8,000 on January 15 (yesterday).
However, the victim also lodged a report with MACC on Sunday.
This led to the arrest of one suspect at 5.10pm in the capital city yesterday, followed by the arrest of the second man after he was summoned to the Kuala Lumpur MACC office last night.
The case is being investigated under Section 16 (a) (A) of the MACC Act 2009, said Kuala Lumpur MACC director Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Husin in the statement.
Both suspects will be brought to the Kuala Lumpur magistrates’ court for a remand application. – January 16, 2024