SHAH ALAM: Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained five individuals, including an engineer from a government department, to assist in the investigation into a case of soliciting and accepting bribes from contractors, amounting to an estimated RM130,000.

According to a MACC source today, two assistant engineers and two contractors were also arrested at the Selangor MACC office where they were present to have their statements recorded, adding that the suspects were males aged between 37 and 45.

The source said that around 2019 until last year, the engineer and an assistant engineer working in a district in Selangor were believed to have solicited and received bribes amounting to more than RM120,000 from one of the contractors to obtain construction projects of a road and a tahfiz school in the area.

"It is understood that the contractor is not eligible for the projects and had used other companies to get the projects.

"Meanwhile, another assistant engineer in the same department is believed to have solicited and accepted bribes amounting to more than RM8,000 from a contractor in return for certifying the completion of work for maintenance and minor repairs of the department's office space," he said.

Selangor MACC director Datuk Alias Salim confirmed the arrests and said the case was being investigated under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.

All suspects would be brought to the Shah Alam Magistrate's Court at 9 am tomorrow for a remand application, he added.

-- BERNAMA