Court extends remand of three in RM1.5bil graft probe

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah Youth chief Datuk Azis Jamman and two Umno division youth leaders have had their remand orders extended by another three days over the ongoing RM1.5bil graft probe.

Kota Kinabalu High Court senior assistant registrar Izat Abd Rahim, sitting as magistrate, allowed Azis as well as Tenom Umno Youth chief Jamawi Jaafar and his Tawau counterpart Ariffin Kassim to be held until Tuesday.

Izat also allowed a businessman, who was arrested in connection with the probe, to be released following an application from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The four men were brought to the Kota Kinabalu court complex here at about 10am yesterday and were briefly allowed to meet some of their family members.

They were among seven people detained in connection with a graft probe into the alleged skimming of up to RM1.5bil in federal project allocations in Sabah through the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

Meanwhile, another family member of Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has been detained over the case.

The 37-year-old businessman, who is the son-in-law of Mohd Shafie’s brother Hamid, was arrested at 5.30pm yesterday.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki confirmed the arrest.

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

So far, some RM170mil in bank accounts and assets belonging to some of the companies involved have been frozen.