Businessman nabbed over bribery claims in PKR polls out on bail

ALOR SETAR: The businessman arrested for allegedly conspiring with two PKR election secretariat committee members to solicit a RM20,000 bribe from a candidate vying for the party’s divisional post was released on bail by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

The 59-year-old was escorted by MACC officers to the court complex here yesterday.

Bail was set at RM10,000 by magistrate Nabilah Md Ruslan.

He was remanded to facilitate investigations under Section 16(a) (A) of the MACC Act, which carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the total value of the bribe.

In a statement, the MACC also disclosed that the businessman was the third suspect arrested in connection with the incident.

The man was arrested when he turned up at the state MACC office on Wednesday.

He was suspected of conspiring with two election secretariat members to ensure the candidate’s name stayed in the system for the party divisional elections on Sept 22.

The two, aged 46 and 48, were earlier arrested but they have since been released on bail.

They were also suspended from the party until further notice.

In Kota Kinabalu, a candidate for the Kimanis PKR division chief ’s post was nabbed by the MACC on suspicion of bribing delegates for the upcoming Sabah party elections.

The commission also arrested an ordinary party member for the same offence.

The duo, aged 46 and 47, were detained separately on Friday in different locations near Kimanis, Papar.

According to a source, the two men were apprehended for allegedly offering bribes to delegates.

Sabah PKR, with 140,000 members, is scheduled to begin voting over two days, beginning on Nov 3.

Both men were brought to the central lock-up at the Sabah police headquarters yesterday for a sixday remand.