SIBU: The Magistrates’ Court today granted bail to a male suspect who had been remanded for his alleged involvement in a subsidised diesel misappropriation syndicate and the bribery of enforcement officers.
Magistrate Oon Kork Chern approved the release of the 42-year-old suspect after his four-day remand period ended today (August 30).
Initially detained to aid the investigation concerning the diesel misappropriation and bribery case were the suspect and his 39-year-old sister.
The sister, after a day in remand, was granted bail last Tuesday by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to MACC sources, the siblings, alongside two men and a woman, were apprehended at a diesel storage depot in Sungai Bidut during ‘Op Liter,’ a joint operation by the MACC and the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN).
The group, suspected to be part of a syndicate diverting subsidised diesel meant for fishermen, allegedly resold it at higher prices to foreign buyers.
Operating since 2012, this syndicate reportedly amassed profits of up to RM400 million by offering bribes to enforcement officers to evade penalties for storing diesel without a valid permit.
In an operation on August 25, MACC seized about RM3.7 million in cash, two barges, and 30 storage tanks estimated to hold around 1.6 million litres of diesel.
The investigation involves violations under Section 16(b)(B) and Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009, Section 471 of the Penal Code, and the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
Additionally, MACC detained an enforcement assistant and an agency director related to the case.
The director was released on MACC bail, while the enforcement assistant was also granted bail today.
All bank accounts of the suspects, amounting to RM36 million, have been frozen by MACC.
