Civil servant among three arrested for 'protecting' sand thieves

KUANTAN: A civil servant was among three men detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on suspicion of offering 'protection' to sand stealing activities in the Sungai Pahang area.

The 'protection' resulted in the Pahang Government losing RM180,000 a month since mid-2014.

The suspects were picked up around Temerloh, about 140km from here yesterday.

An MACC source said the 48-year-old civil servant attached to the Temerloh Land and District Office (PTD) had received RM8,500 a month from the biggest sand entrepreneur in Temerloh.

The others were a 58-year-old company supervisor and a 49-year-old lorry driver who were believed to have offered RM500 for the release of six lorries detained by the MACC.
"The syndicate uses the same docket (form for the production of mineral) for multiple trips to avoid taxes that had to be paid to PTD," said the source when contacted here tonight.

It added the suspects were investigated under Section 17 (a) and Section 17 (b) of the MACC Act 2009 for giving and accepting bribes.

The suspects have been remanded for five days, starting today. The MACC obtained the remand order from magistrate Najwa Hashim in Temerloh.

The source said investigations on the suspects also found the existence of another syndicate which protected overloaded lorries, using a special sticker to state that a bribe had been paid.

Six lorries have been seized in an operation involving the Road Transport Department, Putrajaya MACC and Pahang PTD.

"All the lorries were believed to have been used in sand-stealing activities and were protected by the syndicate," said the source, adding that the MACC was in the midst of arresting a group of enforcement personnel who had been accepting monthly bribes of between RM250 and RM350 each from a company.

It is understood the stolen sand from Temerloh was sold in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the arrests of the three suspects but declined to elaborate. — Bernama