KUALA TERENGGANU: Four individuals have been detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to assist in investigations related to illegal logging activities between May and August this year.
The MACC obtained a remand order against them for five days until Sept 16 at the Sessions Court here today.
The four include three operators of logging companies and a lorry driver.
The four men are suspected of bribing officers from the State Forestry Department as inducement for their release after they were caught operating without licences and for failing to comply with existing laws.
The first suspect, 62, who was the manager of a logging company, is accused of offering RM1,000 to a State Forestry Department enforcement officer as an inducement not to take further action against him for possessing timber without paying taxes.
He is accused of committing the offence on May 23 this year at about 8.40pm.
His case is being investigated under Section 17 (b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.
The second suspect, 40, a manager of another company, had allegedly offered a RM500 bribe to an enforcement officer as an inducement not to take action against him for failing to provide a pass to move logs out of a concession and for possessing logs of various species without paying taxes.
The alleged offence was committed on July 6 at 3.45pm and the case is being investigated under the same Act.
The third suspect, 29, a lorry driver with a logging company, was detained on July 6 at 3.45pm.
During the arrest, the suspect attempted to bribe an enforcement officer as inducement not to act against him for failing to produce a pass to move logs out of a concession and for possession of logs with unpaid taxes.
The fourth suspect , 35, also a manager of a logging company, had allegedly offered a RM500 bribe to an enforcement officer as an inducement not to take action against him for possessing various timber species with unpaid taxes on Aug 28 at about 4.15pm.