KUALA LUMPUR: Three more people have been remanded in investigations into the Jana Wibawa programme.
Among them was Mohd Hussein Mohd Nasir, better known as “Datuk Roy”, who was remanded until Thursday.
The remand order against the 54-year-old was issued by Magis-trate Noorelyna Hanim Abd Halim to facilitate investigations under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
His lawyer Fahmi Abd Moin said the MACC made an application for a seven-day remand for Mohd Hussein, but the magistrate then issued a three-day remand order beginning yesterday instead.
Fahmi added that his client would be remanded at the Cheras police headquarters until Thursday, and is expected to be released at 9am unless there was an application to extend the remand.
Clad in the orange MACC lockup outfit, Mohd Hussein arrived at slightly past 10am, and was escorted into the Magistrate’s court here by two MACC officers.
On Monday, Mohd Hussein, who had a previous graft conviction, surrendered to the MACC and was arrested in connection with the investigations into the Jana Wibawa programme.
At the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court, two suspects in their 40s were also remanded until Thursday over the same case, with a remand order issued by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin.
According to a source, the suspects were believed to have been detained at 3pm on Monday when they presented themselves at the MACC Kuala Lumpur office to give their statements.
When contacted, Kuala Lumpur MACC chief Razaliah Ab Rahman confirmed the arrests and said the case was being investigated under the MACC Act 2009.
On March 9, MACC also arrested four persons aged between 40 and 50, including an MACC officer and a woman.
They were alleged to have solicited and accepted a bribe of RM400,000 to prevent an investigation into the case.
Aimed at easing the economic woes of bumiputra contractors during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Jana Wibawa programme was approved for implementation by the Cabinet in November 2020.
Several Bersatu leaders, including its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, have also been charged over allegations linked to the Jana Wibawa programme.
Last Friday, Muhyiddin was slapped with four counts of power abuse at the Sessions Court here involving a total of RM232.5mil in gratification, as well as two counts of money laundering involving RM195mil.
The eighth Malaysian prime minister pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi.
On Monday, Muhyiddin was also charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court with money laundering, to which he also claimed trial.
Former Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad were also charged last month.
Bersatu treasurer-general Datuk Mohd Salleh Bajuri was also remanded on March 2.
