The Magistrate’s Court today issued an order to remand an engineering consultant for five days up to Jan 28 to assist the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in the investigation into the proposed undersea tunnel project in Penang.

Magistrate Fatina Amyra Abdul Jalil issued the order to remand the 50-year-old who appeared in court at about 10am, handcuffed and in the orange MACC lockup uniform.

The senior consultant of a company engaged in the project was arrested at 6.10pm yesterday when she went to the MACC headquarters here to give a statement.

Media reports had quoted an MACC source as saying that the woman is believed to have been involved in the furnishing of false claims to the Penang government over an RM305-million feasibility study on three major highways and the tunnel in Penang.

Her arrest brings to three the number of individuals held by the MACC to assist in the investigation into the tunnel project. A senior executive director of a consortium with a ‘Datuk’ title and the deputy chairman of a real estate development company were the two individuals remanded earlier.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Azam Baki said last Monday that the MACC had recorded statements from 76 people in their investigation into the case.

The proposed tunnel project had raised controversy, among others in relation to what is believed to be the high cost of the feasibility study, payment linked to government land swap and public objection to the project which is feared would have a negative economic, social and environmental impact.

- Bernama