A spanner in the works

MACC: Medical treatment for Shafie and two others hampering probe

KOTA KINABALU: Claims by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, his brother and the latter’s son-in-law earlier that they needed medical treatment have stalled Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations.

MACC said they could not question Shafie, the Parti Warisan Sabah president, if he was warded.

They are also unable to search his homes in Kuala Lumpur, Semporna and here.

“Precious time is being wasted. We do not want evidence to be tampered with as we are entering a crucial stage of the investigations,” an MACC source said.

He said Shafie’s presence was necessary if they were to search his homes.

On Thursday, MACC arrested Shafie in a graft probe over projects implemented during his watch as Rural and Regional Development Minister.

He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth hospital here for a checkup following his arrest and was subsequently warded overnight due to high blood pressure problems.

MACC has so far arrested 10 peo- ple, including Shafie’s brothers Hamid and Yusof, nephew Warisan Youth chief Azis Jamma and Hamid’s son-in-law Manzur Hussein Awal Khan.

Both Hamid, who had been warded at Damai Specialist Hospital for health problems since Sunday, and Manzur were hospitalised before being released on bail on Thursday.

Shafie was produced before magistrate Cindy Mcjuce Balitus yesterday. She allowed MACC’s application, ordering Shafie to be remanded for four days.

Cindy also instructed that Shafie continued his treatment at the hospital here.

He was held in connection with a graft probe involving RM1.5bil in federal project allocations in Sabah, made through the ministry.

MACC is expected to make more arrests as it investigates 350 projects that were given to some 60 companies between 2009 and 2015.

The money was allegedly siphoned from RM7.5bil worth of project funds.