Four senior officials of Pengurusan Air Pahang Bhd (PAIP), including a top management officer, were remanded four days to help in the investigations into a case involving abuse of power and corruption over a project worth RM23 million.

Also detained were three contractors who were believed to have monopolised the projects offered by PAIP by procuring them through direct dealings without going through the quotation process.

The detention order was issued by the assistant registrar of Kuantan Lower Courts, Humaira KM Haider, following a request from MACC controller Muhammed Fiqrun Md Talip.

The detention was to help in the investigations under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009 for the offence of soliciting and receiving bribes.

The seven, aged between the 30s and 60, had earlier arrived at the Kuantan Court Complex at 9.20am, wearing MACC lock-up clothes, and handcuffed.

The top management officer who has the title ‘Datuk’ was represented by counsel Syed Aziman Amir Syed Abu Bakar, while the others were not represented.

Yesterday, following an operation called ‘Ops Cuci’, the MACC detained the PAIP top management official and the three senior officials.

The four senior officials were believed to have been in cahoots with the owners of several companies since 2014 to monopolise the water supply project in Pahang.

The Auditor-General’s Report 2017 stated that PAIP suffered losses for three consecutive years with RM114.55 million till the end of the financial year on March 31, 2015; RM108.22 million (March 31, 2016) and RM103 million (March 31, 2017).

According to the report, this was due to inefficient and unsatisfactory management in PAIP.

- Bernama