MACC obtains 4-day remand against real estate developer

GEORGE TOWN: Graft busters today have obtained a four-day remand order against a 47-year-old managing director of a developer who has a "Datuk" title.

Also remanded for the same period was a 39-year-old woman who is the sales and marketing head of the company.

The order was granted by Assistant Court Registrar Ahmad Tajuddin Zain when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) made the application.

Both in bright orange MACC lockup wear appeared calm when they exited the room after the remand order was granted and were quickly whisked away into an MACC vehicle.

Penang MACC director Datuk Abdul Aziz Aban said the suspects were detained and remanded to assist in investigations for allegedly falsifying sales and purchase (S&P) documents for a project in Batu Ferringhi.

He said the man was detained at 6pm at the Penang MACC office on Friday while the woman was detained at 6.50pm the same day.

Abdul Aziz said the falsification was done by allegedly using 20 names to purchase the units of the project under the Bumiputera quota.

"They are believed to have paid a sum of money to an individual to obtain copies of identification from people who purportedly were Bumiputra purchasers.

"The falsification is aimed to reduce the contributions paid to the Penang government to release the Bumiputra quota.

"The MACC has until now recorded the statements of 20 people to assist investigations," he said in a statement today.

The prominent businessman and his 74-year-old father, a businessman with a "Datuk Seri" title, was remanded earlier this year in April to assist in investigations into the Yayasan Bumiputra Pulau Pinang (Yayasan) scandal.