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PUTRAJAYA: Two senior government officials are among five men detained in the custody of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in an investigation of abuse of power related to cargo shipping.
Judge Shah Wira Abdul Halim allowed the five between the ages of 35 and 54 to be held in pretrial detention until December 15 to facilitate the MACC investigation.
The two top government officials are a deputy general manager and a division secretary, while the other three suspects are directors of shipping companies.
According to one source, senior officers allegedly abused their position by issuing exemption letters to certain shipping companies, allowing them to transport high-grade oil in Malaysian waters.
This goes against the government’s decision not to allow “single hull and double bottom” types of vessels to carry heavy oil.
The exemption letters were allegedly sent to the companies without any ministerial knowledge or endorsement.
The source said there have been many complaints from other shipping companies that they had to switch to “double hull and double bottom” tankers to transport heavy oil.
“The ruling is in line with international standards, in order to avoid leaks and water contamination caused by single-hull tankers,” the source said.
The case is being investigated under Section 17 of the MACC Act.
Meanwhile, MACC’s deputy chief commissioner (operations) confirmed the arrests but declined to comment further.
The five were arrested on Thursday night when they went to MACC headquarters to have their statements recorded.
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