Luxury vehicles, $16,000 cash seized in probe on three Malaysian graft busters

A Rolls-Royce Phantom, Mustang and a helicopter were among those seized PHOTOS: MACC

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Investigators have discovered several luxury vehicles and RM50,000 (S$16,000) in cash at a city hotel in the course of a probe into three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers.

The investigation is in connection with the loss of case items involving US$6 million (S$8.1 million).

The cash and the vehicles are believed to be owned by one of the three MACC officers, who were detained by graft busters and remanded from Sept 14 to 19, sources told a Malay daily.

"The vehicles were found at the hotel's carpark area and the MACC is checking its documentation to discover the origin of the vehicles.

"The MACC is also checking whether the RM50,000 cash is part of the US$6 million belonging to the former chief of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation, Hasanah Ab Hamid," sources told Utusan Malaysia.

One of the officers detained also owned a high-powered motorcycle and lived in a luxury home, the sources said.

"All assets and financial records of the three officers are being scrutinised," sources said.

On Monday (Sept 20), the MACC released a statement saying three of its officers had been detained to assist in investigations into allegations of abuse of power and misconduct in a case involving a "former senior government servant who has been discharged but not acquitted by the court".

The commission said a thorough probe was under way.

The officers are under investigation over the misappropriation of US$6 million seized from Hasanah. In April, Hasanah was granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal by the High Court for criminal breach of trust involving RM50.4 million of government funds.

The case was withdrawn following a new development.

The MACC statement came on the heels of reports that Hasanah had attempted to reclaim the seized money but found part of it missing and replaced with counterfeit notes.

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