An Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry official has been remanded for seven days while the remand for a Youth and Sports Ministry official has been extended for another seven days.

The duo are being detained to assist investigations into a case involving misappropriation of government funds.

The remand on two contractors of event management companies had also been extended for seven days until March 30.

The orders were issued by Magistrate Nik Isfahanie Tasnim Wan Ab Rahman in Putrajaya today.

Two other contractors of event management companies and a woman who was allegedly a proxy for a company, whose seven-day remand expired today, have been released on Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) bail of RM10,000, in one surety each.

Last Friday, MACC detained a Youth and Sports Ministry official and eight individuals, including a woman, on suspicion of masterminding a syndicate to misappropriate RM107 million of government funds.

The syndicate is believed to have been active since 2010, using the finance division of a youth and sports ministry agency to pay 14 companies, purportedly for organising sports programmes.

Yesterday, an Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry official aged 41 and a company director aged 31 were detained after giving their statements at the MACC headquarters.

- Bernama