The suspects – 26 men and 11 women, aged between 28 and 70 – were remanded in magistrates’ courts in Putrajaya, Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Pahang, Perak, Penang, Melaka, Perlis, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan.

They will be remanded till July 20.

The suspects, comprising business owners, directors, managers, shareholders, engineers and executives, were arrested in a joint sting by the anti-graft agency and the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

The operation targeted 66 companies and froze 36 accounts with a total value of more than RM7 million.

MACC senior director of investigation Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed the arrests and said the case was being investigated under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 for providing false documents with the intention to deceive.

He expected more arrests to be mde.