Four, including ex‑native affairs officer and civil servant, held in Keningau over RM900,000 land‑sale bribery case

KENINGAU, Aug 20 — Four individuals, comprising a former native affairs officer and three civil servants, have been remanded for seven days to aid investigations into a land sale bribery scheme involving approximately RM900,000, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Sabah. The remand, which is set to last until August 27, was granted by Magistrate Flavian Edward Henry at the Magistrate’s Court in Keningau on August 20, following a request from MACC Sabah.

Sources indicate that the former native affairs officer and civil servants were suspected of receiving bribes from land brokers to expedite a land transaction from the previous year. However, an initial investigation revealed that the land in question was owned by another party and had never been advertised for sale. The four male suspects, aged between their 30s and 60s, were apprehended between 4pm and 8pm on August 19 during a visit to the MACC Keningau office to provide statements.

Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah, the MACC Sabah director, confirmed the arrests in a statement to Bernama, stating that the case is being investigated under Sections 17 and 18 of the MACC Act 2009.