Lawyer: Head of Sabah Water Dept linked to graft investigation yet to be suspended
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Water Department director at the centre of a probe into abuse of power and corruption involving RM3.3bil will be back to work as usual today.
Counsel P.J. Pereira said his client had told him that he has yet to receive any suspension order and as such, would return to work.
Yesterday, the 54-year-old director was allowed bail by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at the Kepayan police lock-up at about 1pm. He deposited RM500,000 in two sureties.
He was ordered to report to the Sabah MACC every month.
The director, his deputy and two others were arrested on Oct 4 in relation to the MACC investigation into the siphoning of federal allocations for water projects since 2010.
The two-week remand order for the 52-year-old deputy director, a businessman and company accountant expires tomorrow.
Apart from the four, a 62-year-old adviser to the Sabah Finance Minstry became the fifth suspect arrested.
The man, who was picked up from his office early last week, had retired as a deputy director of the state water department last year before he was appointed an adviser in technical and engineering matters.
MACC sources said that investigators were still going through the complex paper and money trail in the scandal.
So far, 82 people, including contractors, families and department officials, have been questioned in the case.
The MACC seized RM114mil worth of assets, including RM53.7mil in cash stashed in houses and offices, from the two senior officials.
It also traced RM30mil deposited in foreign banks and RM30mil in 127 land titles for housing, agriculture and commercial use.
Also seized were nine vehicles, worth RM2.7mil in total, an assortment of jewellery valued at RM3.64mil and designer handbags amounting to RM500,000.
Also, three Sabah Water Department employees voluntarily surrendered about RM1mil, allegedly taken in the process of approving water projects under the federal allocations.
