PUTRAJAYA: A company director has been taken into custody for allegedly providing a bribe of RM17,000 to a ministry official in exchange for speeding up the payment of subsidy claims totaling approximately RM600mil for chicken and eggs. Furthermore, a member of his staff, who is in his 30s, has also been apprehended. According to sources, the director, who is additionally the president of an association, was arrested at approximately 6.30pm on Thursday (Oct 19) after receiving a summons to provide his statement at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters located here.
These sources have indicated that subsidy payments worth RM600mil have been disbursed since May, involving over 300 poultry breeders and egg producers across the nation. Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin has granted permission for the suspect to be detained for a duration of three days until Sunday (Oct 22). On the other hand, the second suspect has been released on bail. MACC senior director of investigation, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hashim, has verified the arrest.
