GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Penang has arrested an enforcement officer for allegedly soliciting a bribe of around RM80,000 from a woman.
According to an MACC source, the 40-something male suspect contacted the woman on Nov 30 following the arrest of her husband and demanded a bribe, claiming it was to help release her husband, who was detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA 2012).
“During the phone conversation, the suspect requested around RM80,000 from the woman in exchange for changing the testimony to help her husband be released from SOSMA detention.
“The suspect asked for an advance payment of around RM25,000 from the woman, who then made several transfers via e-wallet payment systems, totalling about RM3,000,“ the source said in a statement.
The source added that on Monday, the suspect again contacted the woman and asked for another RM2,000 in cash. The woman later handed over RM1,000 to the suspect during a meeting at a petrol station in Sungai Dua around 2 pm, before he was arrested.
Meanwhile, Penang MACC director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah confirmed the arrest of the suspect and said the case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
He added that the suspect would be brought to the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court for a remand application yesterday morning.
