MACC nabs 34 in major swoop on illegal sand-mining

y Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani - The Malaysian Insider

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 20 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained 34 people in five states, including two politicians and civil servants, for allegedly being bribed with cash and sexual favours, in a major crackdown on illegal sand-mining activities.

The 34 arrested are expected to be charged in court tomorrow.

With the arrests, the MACC said today that it believed it had dismantled a syndicate involved in the smuggling of sand to a neighbouring country. The anti-graft agency has not named the country.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had complained recently about why sand was still being sold to Singapore.

The issue of the export of sand to Singapore is politically sensitive because it involves bilateral ties between the two countries which have been testy in the past because of disputes over the sale of sand and water.

“We have arrested 34 suspects. Twenty-four are from the government sector, three from the private sector and five are members of the the public.

“We also arrested one special officer and one private secretary of a politician,” MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull told a press conference here this afternoon.

He did not, however, say which states the suspects were detained in.

Earlier today, a senior aide to a PKR politician in the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state government was arrested.

Hussein Ahmad, the executive secretary to Selangor Agriculture, Natural Resources and Entrepreneurial Development committee chairman Yaakob Sapari, was detained at his office in Shah Alam.

Mohd Shukri said all of the arrests were part of a major crackdown on sand smuggling syndicates.

“Last year, we received 410 reports regarding the smuggling of sand but we only began our arrests last week.

“They will all be charged under section 16 of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission Act,” he said.

Mohd Shukri said the bribes, which included at least one case where sexual favours was offered, were made to civil servants in five states to expedite the application process for sand mining activities.

He said that so far, the MACC had confiscated RM50,000 out of RM280,000 in bribes allegedly paid.

The MACC man declined to divulge more details but confirmed that more arrests are expected.