Mohd Arif and son to be charged today
PETALING JAYA: Rural and Regional Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and one of his sons will be charged today for alleged graft.
Mohd Arif was detained by a team of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers yesterday. Also held was Mohd Arif ’s eldest son, aged 35, when they were ordered to be present at the Kedah MACC office at about 10.30am.
Both men were expected to be taken to the courts in Jalan Duta and Shah Alam to face charges.
It is learnt Mohd Arif, 59, will be charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009 for abetment in soliciting for bribes.
His son will face two charges under Section 16(a)(B) and Section 16(a)(A) of the same Act for seeking gratifications for both himself and his father.
Sources said that after almost two months of painstaking investigations, the papers were submitted to the deputy public prosecutor who consented to press charges against them.
Earlier, Mohd Arif and his son had been released on bail of RM200,000 and RM25,000, respectively, after the expiry of their 11-day remand order.
Another son, aged 29, was released on a RM10,000 bail.
All three were held to assist investigations into alleged corruption, abuse of power and money laundering.
It was one of the high profile cases probed by the MACC this year.
Mohd Arif was said to have abused his power and position to solicit for bribes since 2010, taking advantage of his position for personal gains.
Investigations showed he had a direct hand in appointing contractors, suppliers and vendors with vested interest.
On Jan 4, the MACC arrested Mohd Arif at his USJ3, Subang Jaya house just as he was about to leave for work.
His two sons were detained at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya after they were called in for questioning.
Officers who conducted a 12-hour search at Mohd Arif ’s house found gold bars, 150 luxury handbags, branded watches and foreign currencies.
The gold bars, Australian dollars and euros seized were estimated at RM3mil.
The designer handbags included brands like Chanel, Hermes, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, priced from RM7,000 to RM100,000 each.
In follow-up operations, the MACC also seized more gold bars and cash, totalling some RM2.6mil, in safe deposit boxes from several banks.
Also seized were 10 plots of land believed to have been acquired while Mohd Arif was serving in the Selangor government.
He was Subang Jaya Municipal Council president in 2005, Selangor financial officer in 2007 and the former secretary-general of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry.