Viet woman remanded to help second graft case

PUTRAJAYA: A Vietnamese woman who was charged for bribing two Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officers, was remanded seven days beginning yesterday for a separate bribery charge.

The Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) obtained the remand order from the magistrate’s court, this time to assist in investigations relating to an alleged RM890,000 bribe, also to MMEA officers.

The 41-year-old was detained by MACC at its office in Kuantan on Wednesday after she was summoned to give her statement.

Magistrate Ainna Sherina Saipolamin granted the remand order.

The suspect had allegedly given the RM890,000 bribe through five transactions throughout the year to MMEA officers in return for the release of Vietnamese boats that were seized in Malaysian waters for various offences.

The remand was to assist MACC in identifying the boat owners who were released following the inducement given by the suspect, as well as the boats in question, which had used forged registration numbers.

The case is being investigated under Section 16(B)(b) of the MACC Act 2009.

The Vietnamese was last week charged in Kuantan for allegedly offering RM800,000 bribe to two maritime officers to release nine Vietnamese fishing boats seized under the Fisheries Act 1985.