Fertiliser cartel: MACC remands two more suspects

The MACC has remanded two other individuals for five days from today until Nov 4 in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged cartels involved in the distribution and supply of paddy fertiliser as part of an RM1.8 billion government project.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki in a statement confirmed the arrests and remand of the two suspects who are in their mid-40s to mid-50s - a Malaysian manager in the marketing division of an agriculture-linked association and a foreigner who heads a company offered a fertiliser purchase contract by the same association.

The MACC revealed preliminary investigations found the main suspect had received a quotation from the company’s representative for approval of the association’s chairperson.

According to sources, the association’s chairperson had given his consent to appoint the foreign company without any cost comparison or vetting by the organisation’s board of directors.

“The awarding of a contract valued at around RM60 million via direct negotiation to supply fertiliser was done in only six days in June 2022, when the foreign company had no previous work experience with the association,” added the source.

Both suspects were arrested at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday after they were summoned for questioning under Section 16(a) of the MACC Act 2009.

To date, three individuals have been arrested including a company’s marketing executive who was offered a rice fertiliser purchase project by the association.

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