Penang tunnel probe: Woman engineer remanded

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 24): The Magistrate’s Court here today issued an order to remand an engineering consultant for five days up to Jan 28 to assist the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in their probe into the planned undersea tunnel project in Penang, Bernama reported today.

The 50-year-old woman was arrested at 6.10 pm yesterday when she arrived at the MACC headquarters here to provide a statement.

Magistrate Fatina Amyra Abdul Jalil issued the order to remand the woman who appeared in court today at about 10 am, handcuffed and in the orange MACC lockup uniform, Bernama reported.

The media reported that an MACC source has said that the woman, who is a senior consultant of a company engaged in the project, is believed to have been involved in supplying false claims to the Penang state government over an RM305-million feasibility study on three major highways and the tunnel in Penang. 

Two “Datuks” were detained on Jan 9 following raids into four Penang state agencies — the Penang Public Works Department, Penang State Secretary, Penang Office of Lands and Mines and Penang Valuation and Property Services Department — and three construction and property development companies — Ewein Zenith Sdn Bhd, 555 Capital Sdn Bhd and Consortium Zenith Construction.

They were released on bail of RM200,000 each on Jan 19. Read the story here. The arrest of the woman engineering consultant therefore brings to three the number of individuals held by the MACC over the Penang tunnel project.