MACC nabs five over illegal logging graft

2009/04/08

MACC nabs five over illegal logging graft

Bernama

KUANTAN, Wed:

Five people, including two public servants, were arrested at a hotel in Genting Highlands yesterday over alleged bribery in connection with illegal logging in the Karak and Bentong forest reserves.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission''s (MACC) Pahang director, Sutinah Sutan, said those arrested were aged between 30 and 49 and the bribe offered was RM55,000.

In a statement issued here today, she said one of the two civil servants arrested was from the Bentong Forestry Office and the other from the Temerloh Forestry Office, while another three arrested were members of the public.

When contacted by Bernama, she said the three were believed to have given the bribe to the two government employees as inducement to avoid action being taken for illegal logging activities in the forest reserves of Karak and Bentong.

Sutinah, however, declined to give more details on the case as it is still under investigation.
"All the suspects are detained to facilitate the investigation," she said.

The case is being investigated under Section 16A and Section 17A of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of RM10,000 or five times the amount of bribery involved.