Political activist, two others remanded in alleged corruption probe

PETALING JAYA: A political activist and two other individuals have been remanded for four days by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to assist in investigations related to an alleged corruption case.

According to New Straits Times, magistrate Siti Nor Hasliza Mohd Ali granted the four-day remand order as the trio were brought via MACC vehicles to the Alor Star court complex around 9am.

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It was revealed by a source familiar with the investigation that the men are under scrutiny for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe from a celebrity preacher in exchange for halting the police investigation into his money laundering case.

“Initial investigation suggests that all suspects had conspired to solicit RM150,000 from the preacher but only received RM20,000 from him,“ the source reportedly said.

The suspects, aged in their 30s and 50s, were detained in Bedong and at the state MACC headquarters between 12pm and 5pm yesterday.

Kedah MACC director Ahmad Nizam Ismail confirmed the arrests, stating that the investigation is ongoing under Section 16(a) A of the MACC Act 2009.

As he was escorted into the court building, the political activist was heard shouting “lawan tetap lawan” (never surrender) to the media.

He repeated the same phrase when leaving the building after the remand proceedings, further alleging that the investigation was politically driven to silence supporters of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.