MELAKA: Five people, including two lawyers from separate law firms, have been remanded for three days to assist an investigation into allegations that several law firms around Melaka took RM316,000 in bribes from 2018 to 2022, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said today.
The remand order was issued by magistrate Nabilah Nizam for four men and one woman who are lawyers, law firm managers and a bank officer, aged 37 to 53, in Melaka and Petaling Jaya.
In a statement, Melaka MACC director Adi Supian Shafie confirmed that the five suspects were detained between 2pm and 4pm yesterday at the state MACC office.
He said the suspects were believed to have received bribes for referring property buyers to these firms to secure documentation to apply for loans.
He added that the investigation is being conducted under Section 16 (a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009. If found guilty, the offenders could be fined up to five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.