The Magistrate’s Court today issued an order to remand a woman engineering consultant for five days up to Jan 28 to assist the MACC in its probe into the proposed Penang undersea tunnel project.
Magistrate Fatina Amyra Abdul Jalil issued the order to remand the 50-year-old woman who arrived at the court at 9.50am and whose face was covered with a jacket.
The woman, a senior consultant of a company engaged in the project, was arrested at 6.10 pm yesterday when she went to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya to give a statement.
Media reports had quoted an MACC source as saying that the woman is believed to have been involved in the furnishing of false claims to the Penang government over an RM305 million feasibility study on three major highways and the tunnel in Penang.
The MACC is also identifying whether other individuals were also involved in abetting with the preparation of the false documents.
The arrest of the woman brings to three the number of individuals held by the MACC to assist in the investigation into the tunnel project.
Two high-ranking Datuks of development and construction companies were earlier arrested on Jan 9 before being remanded for six days beginning Jan 10.
Their remand was then extended for another five days from Jan 15.
They were released on MACC bail of RM200,000 each on Jan 19 by the Putrajaya magistrate’s court.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki said last Monday that the MACC had recorded statements from 76 people and visited more than 40 premises in their investigation into the case.
He added that more individuals would be hauled up over the project.
The proposed 7.2km undersea tunnel is part of an RM6.3 billion project, which also includes three paired roads.
The project had raised numerous controversies in recent months, especially on the high cost of its RM305 million feasibility study, the 21-month delay in its construction, payment linked to government land swap and public objection to the project which is feared would have a negative economic, social and environmental impact.
Related reports:
Jan 12, Guan Eng: MACC Didn’t Raid My Office, Not a Sen Paid for Undersea Tunnel
Jan 10, Two Datuks in Penang Tunnel Probe Remanded
Jan 10, MACC Raids Seven Offices in Penang over Undersea Tunnel Probe