MACC remands marketing exec in fertiliser cartel probe

MACC has remanded a company’s marketing executive who was offered a rice fertiliser purchase project by an organisation.

Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin issued a four-day remand order until Nov 2 after the anti-graft agency made the application at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court this morning.

According to sources, the man in his 30s was arrested at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya after being summoned to assist in investigations late yesterday afternoon.

“The preliminary investigation found that the company has been dormant in Malaysia for the past eight years.

“However, the parent company is based in Singapore. The company involved is also said to have received a fertiliser supply contract totalling 15,000 tonnes or approximately RM60 million in 2022.

“The awarding of the contract is very dubious. It is believed to have been made on the orders of the organisation’s highest authority without the approval of its board of directors, and it was given through direct negotiation on the grounds of emergency purchase,” said the source who declined to be identified.

Contract part of RM1.8b govt project

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that MACC launched an investigation into alleged cartels involved in the distribution and supply of fertilisers for rice crops.

According to the agency, the contract was part of a government project worth RM1.8 billion.

Two days ago, a source claimed MACC had visited several premises around Kuala Lumpur for investigation purposes.

When contacted, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed the investigation and did not rule out the possibility that some other suspects would be detained to assist in the investigation.

The source added that the contract, worth RM60 million given in the name of a company that has been inactive for the past eight years, is very suspicious.

“The same goes for decisions made in haste in the name of emergency purchases,” he said.

According to the source, the case is being investigated under Sections 16, 18 and 23 of the MACC Act 2009.

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