Three remanded over embezzlement of govt funds
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday obtained remand orders against three people here and in Putrajaya in connection with the embezzlement of federal funds meant for the poor in Sabah.
This included Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, who, together with a local businessman, was ordered to be detained for five days.
The duo were brought before magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie. Clad in orange lockup shirts, Anthony, 46, who is a businessman-turned-politician, and the 52-year-old owner of a construction company arrived at the courthouse at 2.30pm.
Anthony, who is the director of Asli Jati Engineering Sdn Bhd, was greeted by a horde of Parti Warisan Sabah supporters, who had thronged the court compound since noon.
Present were the party’s other vice-president, Junz Wong, and Parti Warisan Sabah Wira chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman.
Anthony and the businessman were among three people detained
by MACC on Thursday to facilitate investigations into the mishandling of federal funds in Sabah.
They were detained at the state MACC office in the evening after giving their statements.
Anthony was represented by counsel Martin Tommy, Loretto Padua Jr, who is also Parti Warisan Sabah’s secretary-general,
Norazmi Alimat, Jaikol Situn and Cedric Choo.
The construction company owner was represented by counsel Edward Paul.
MACC investigating officer Mohd Faliq Basirudin represented the commission.
In Putrajaya, a former deputy secretary of a division of the Rural and Regional Development
Ministry was remanded for six days to facilitate investigations.
The remand order against the 40-year-old woman was issued by magistrate Aida Khairuleen Azli.
The woman, clad in a black floral blouse and floral headscarf, arrived at the Putrajaya magistrate’s court at 9.30am.
She was arrested at the MACC headquarters here at 8.15pm
on Thursday.
The arrests of the trio were made following MACC’s swoop on 15 locations in Sabah and the freezing of bank accounts containing almost RM180 million by the commission.
The probe was triggered by Bank Negara Malaysia’s Suspicious Transaction Report alert system and public tip-offs.