Two from Umno Youth held trying to scam division chief

PUTRAJAYA: An Umno Youth member and his accomplice have been held for attempting to dupe a politician into believing that they can help settle his “corruption” case.

The men had approached the victim – an Umno division chief from Penang – claiming the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was investigating a case involving him.

Sources said the 38-year-old Umno Youth member had told the victim that he knew someone – an officer with MACC – who had connections with a high ranking officer in the commission.

“Suspecting something amiss, the Umno leader contacted the MACC and a trap was set to nab the two. A meeting between the three was arranged for Wednesday at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

“The suspects asked for a payment of RM1mil from the politician to settle the case,” said a source.

The Umno leader agreed to give an upfront payment of RM50,000. MACC officers immediately arrested the suspects after the money exchanged hands.

The source said there was actually no case against the Umno chief but the suspects cooked up a story about him being investigated for corruption.

Magistrate Shah Wira Abdul Halim granted the prosecutors’ application for the two men, both unemployed, to be remanded for four days until July 1.

The same court also allowed for a chief executive officer of a government-linked company to be remanded for three days to allow graft investigators to probe an alleged power abuse involving the top executive.

The 59-year-old Datuk will be held until tomorrow as MACC look into allegations that he had abused his position when awarding tenders for construction projects worth RM300mil in Putrajaya.

MACC sources said issues were purposely “created” so that contractors, who had been awarded the projects via open tender, could not proceed with the work and had to get a “replacement” contractor – believed to have ties with the Datuk – to continue with the project.

He was approached by MACC officers while attending a Hari Raya open house in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and was arrested at his office here.