Cops probing Royal Gold held for soliciting bribes

PETALING JAYA: Two police inspectors tasked to investigate a "money game" or Ponzi scheme company called Royal Gold were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Monday for attempting to solicit bribes from a sibling of a suspect of the case.
The police officers, aged 31 and 33, are from a task force undertaking the probe following the arrest of six people including a Datuk Seri and three Datuks by the federal police Commercial Crimes Investigations Department on Jan 26.
Sources revealed that the officers had summoned a man linked to the case for questioning and allegedly demanded for a RM40,000 bribe if he did not want to be arrested.
The man, who is said to be a sibling of one of the Datuks arrested, called up a relative and told him about the demands made by the police officers.
The relative reported the matter to the MACC and a sting was planned to nab the officers.
Sources said at about 6.30pm on the same day, the officers were nabbed by MACC investigators when they showed up at a car park of a shopping mall in Damansara to meet up with the man's relative.
Yesterday, a three-day remand order was obtained against them.
Over 2,000 investors of the Royal Gold scam are believed to have lost about RM200 million since 2015 when the company lured them with offers of high returns for their investment.
However, police received only 193 reports from victims who claimed losses of about RM27 million.
The company officials had claimed to invest in gold bars.
They also claimed that a member of royalty was among their directors.