PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained the former Malaysian Army chief, his two wives, and two other individuals as part of its probe into alleged corruption in procurement tenders.
They were arrested at 7pm after presenting themselves to give statements at the MACC headquarters. Their arrests follow the detention of another married couple yesterday, who are also connected to the case.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed the arrests when contacted by Bernama, saying that all five individuals are being held to assist with the corruption probe into the Malaysian Army tenders.
“We expect to apply for remand orders for the former army chief and his two wives tomorrow. The couple detained yesterday have already been remanded for seven days,” he said.
The arrests follow an earlier directive from Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who announced that the Army Chief had been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters' Chief of Staff Lt Gen Datuk Azhan Md Othman was subsequently appointed as the 31st Malaysian Army Chief, effective Thursday (January 1). His appointment follows a widening investigation into military procurement.
On December 23, MACC expanded the investigation to the Defence Ministry itself, reviewing projects awarded through open tenders and managed by the Army Responsibility Centre.
Yesterday, the investigation escalated as MACC obtained a five-day remand order for 17 company directors suspected of being involved in a cartel for army procurement tenders.
