
Two Penang health staff held 3 days over RM54,000 bribery case
The remand order for the two male suspects, in their 30s and 60s, was issued by Judge Juraidah Abbas following an application from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to a source, the two suspects are believed to have solicited and accepted a bribe of RM54,000 from a male contractor in January 2024.
'The alleged bribe was for assistance in obtaining several temporary hawker stall licences in Penang during Chinese New Year 2024.
'Both suspects were arrested at around 2.30 pm yesterday while they were present to provide their statements at the MACC office in Penang,' the source said.
Meanwhile, MACC Penang director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah confirmed the arrest of the duo when contacted and said the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Sinar Daily
36 minutes ago
- Sinar Daily
Sexual blackmail syndicate busted, victims tortured and forced to eat chillies
Police rescued two teenage victims, a 15-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, who had endured physical abuse, sexual exploitation and psychological torment at the hands of the syndicate. M Kumar (left) presenting a flow chart detailing the operations of a sexual extortion syndicate during a press conference on the success of recent drug seizures and criminal crackdowns under Op Bugil at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters today. Photo by Bernama JOHOR BAHRU – Police have dismantled a criminal syndicate involved in sexual blackmail and online fraud following a series of raids across Kulai and Johor Bahru between June 20 and July 1. Johor police chief Datuk M Kumar said that nine local comprising seven men and two women aged 17 to 59 were arrested in joint operations led by Johor's D7 Division alongside criminal investigation units from Kulai and South Johor Bahru districts. Police rescued two teenage victims, a 15-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl, who had endured physical abuse, sexual exploitation and psychological torment at the hands of the syndicate. 'Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate began operating actively in Nov 2024, using a modus operandi that involved posing as attractive women through fake social media accounts to lure victims into performing sexually explicit video calls. 'At the same time, the syndicate would send phishing links to hack into the victims' mobile phones, then use the recordings of the explicit calls to blackmail them, demanding money in stages. 'Overwhelmed by emotional distress and fear, the victims eventually transferred funds into the syndicate's accounts as instructed,' he said during a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters on Monday. M Kumar (centre) during a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters on Monday. Photo by Bernama During the operation, police confiscated a range of items, including 27 mobile phones of various brands, identity documents, flight tickets, currency exchange receipts, and cash in multiple denominations, RM140, 1,822 yuan, and 4,370 baht. Authorities also seized a laptop, 49 SIM cards, a modem, job record books and a vehicle. Police investigations uncovered that the criminal network maintained active connections in both Laos and Thailand while systematically recruiting local workers, including minors to serve as scammers. 'The syndicate lured potential recruits with false promises of monthly salaries ranging between RM2,200 to RM4,000, while also offering deceptive overseas employment opportunities boasting earnings of up to USD$2,500 (approximately RM10,637). 'The two rescued teenage victims endured horrific abuse including physical beatings, forced nudity, sexual violence, and being compelled to eat chillies as punishment. 'The victims, both school dropouts, faced additional extortion attempts, with syndicate members demanding RM30,000 as a purported "release fee" to terminate their forced employment,' he said. The case is being investigated under Sections 5, 10, and 15(f) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, as well as Sections 12 and 14 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007. The suspects also face charges under Section 324 of the Penal Code, Regulation 25(1)(o) of the National Registration Regulations 1990 (Amendment 2007), and Section 12(1)(f) of the Passport Act 1966.


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Mohd Fuad is first Sabahan to be the state's MACC director
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) Penang director, Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah, is set to take over as Sabah MACC director, replacing Datuk Karunanithy Subbiah. Fuad, the first Sabahan to hold the post, is expected to take over in the first week of August, according to MACC officials, as congratulatory messages were shared on social media. Karunanithy, the longest-serving director at Sabah MACC, having held the position since March 2019, will be the commission's Penang director. Fuad had previously served in Sabah and was an integrity officer with the Chief Minister's Department in 2019. Most state MACC directors serve two to three years in each posting. A predecessor, Abdul Aziz Abdul Jalil, also served for about six years as the state director between 1970 and 1976, when the graft-buster was still the Anti-Corruption Agency. When contacted on Monday (July 14), Karunanithy confirmed that he will be transferred and expects the handing over of duties ceremony to be on Aug 7. "Many Sabahans will be happy and proud with Fuad's appointment as Sabah director," he said.


New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Bangladeshi loses bid to reclaim RM723k seized in Immigration raid
SHAH ALAM: The High Court has dismissed a criminal revision application filed by a Bangladeshi national challenging a Sessions Court's decision to forfeit RM723,000 in cash seized during an Immigration raid earlier this year. Judicial commissioner Dr Hazlina Hussain ruled that there was no procedural error by the Sessions Court judge to justify intervention by the higher court. According to the court document, Salman Ahmad Chowdhury as applicant had pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his temporary employment visit pass by working at an unauthorised premises in Ampang. Salman was fined RM400 and ordered to be deported. He did not appeal the order before his deportation. During the raid on Jan 17, enforcement officers from the Immigration Department found Salman in possession of multiple foreign passports and large sums of money kept in a safe deposit box. Following Salman's guilty plea, the lower court also ordered the forfeiture of RM723,000 to the government. His former employer, Agensi Pekerjaan Insight Alliance Sdn Bhd (the agent), was also fined RM10,000 for hiring an undocumented migrant and did not appeal the conviction. However, on May 6, Salman and the agent applied to High Court to exercise its revisionary power to revise the learned lower court's decision on an order to forfeit the monies. Lawyers Mohd Haziq Razali and Nur Khairunnisa Sabirah Abdul Manan submitted that was no nexus between the cash and the immigration offence. However, the judge disagreed. "To the court, if the counsel's argument had any merit, it was quite perplexing as to who now owns the cash if the forfeiture order by the Sessions Court was wrong. "There is indeed a nexus between Salman and the disputed money, based on the police report. "Furthermore, Salman admitted to all the exhibits tendered before the trial judge. "By denying the forfeiture order, as counsel did, they were also questioning the guilty plea Salman had made before the lower court, which the court thought devoid of merit," she said in her grounds of judgment. Salman and the agent filed an appeal to the Court of Appeal.