The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained 13 suspects, including a serving director and a former director of a government agency in northern Peninsular Malaysia, over allegations of soliciting and accepting about RM2.5 million in bribes. The arrests took place on June 15 between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. during a coordinated operation, Op Drain, targeting a procurement cartel across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pahang, and Perak [1, 2, 3].

The suspects consist of 10 men and 3 women aged between their 30s and 60s. Eight are civil servants, while five are company owners or members of the public. The alleged bribery involved payments from contractors as inducements to appoint companies controlled by cartel agents to monopolize direct-negotiation and quotation-based projects carried out by the agency [1, 2, 3].

MACC's Strategic Communications Division stated, "Contractors who were detained confirmed that they were required to pay bribes amounting to between 10 and 15 per cent to intermediaries, who would then channel the payments to the director and former director of the government agency." The conspiracy is believed to have taken place from 2024 to 2026 [1, 2, 3].

During Op Drain, investigators raided 25 locations, including homes, offices, and government premises. Seized assets include about RM1.5 million in cash, jewellery worth approximately RM1 million, a luxury watch, two vehicles, and a high-powered motorcycle [1, 2, 3].

On June 16, remand orders were approved by Magistrate Anis Hanini Abdullah at the Ipoh Magistrate's Court. Three suspects, two civil servants and one company director, were remanded for two days until June 17, while the remaining 10 suspects were remanded for five days until June 20 [1, 2, 3].

The bribery is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009. The agency continues to unravel the cartel network involved in the procurement process [1, 2, 3].

Separately, MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman said investigations continue into another large-scale fraud involving 1,638 companies suspected of submitting false claims under Socso’s Daya Kerjaya 2.0 employment incentive programme. The losses from this case total about RM45 million, with 97 arrests made since the launch of Op Daya on June 9 [4, 5, 6, 7].

"There is no time limit for this investigation. We do not need to rush and we are not racing against time," Abd Halim said. He added the probe is being conducted both at Socso's headquarters and state levels [4].

He also acknowledged governance weaknesses in the programme, promising, "If there are weaknesses in the system or procedures, we will help identify them and propose improvements to ensure that the implementation of an initiative can be delivered to the people more effectively and accurately" [5].

Since his appointment on May 13, 2026, Abd Halim said he looks forward to strengthening the agency. "For me, this is a challenge, and regardless of our position, we must shoulder it. We cannot run away from it," he said [8].

In other news, an unrelated legal case involving Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos saw him pay RM66,600 in outstanding defamation costs to MP Teresa Kok. This payment postponed an asset auction scheduled for June 22 [9]. Lawyer Datuk SN Nair said the auction will remain on hold pending successful clearance of the cheque [9].

Finally, the High Court will hear MACC's application on August 13 seeking to restrain Toh Puan Na’imah Abdul Khalid from managing offshore assets valued at about US$157.5 million and £85 million located in Jersey [10].