Yusof Apdal remanded for four days in Sabah graft probe
The Lahad Datu assemblyman is the third member of Parti Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal’s family to be arrested.
Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie issued the remand order today on an application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
MACC was represented by prosecutors Rozanna Abdul Hadi, Mohd Faliq Basirudin and Rustam Sanip, while lawyers Edward Paul and Peter Lee appeared for Yusof.
Yusof, the Umno Lahad Datu assemblyman, was arrested about 8pm yesterday after he went to the MACC office to give a statement in connection with several projects under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry that was headed by Shafie between 2009 and 2015
Another of Shafie’s younger brothers, Hamid, is still under remand along with his businessman son-in-law.
Some 70 projects under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry are reportedly being scrutinised by the MACC for suspected embezzlement.
These projects were to be carried out between 2009 and 2015 in Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Kota Belud, Ranau, Beaufort, Keningau, Lahad Datu, Tawau and Sandakan.
The RM1.5 billion was said to be part of RM7.5 billion allocated for water, electricity and road infrastructure development projects.
More than 45 people have been questioned since the probe began two weeks ago.
Yusof’s arrest brings the total number of people detained in connection with the case to nine.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
Opposition leaders claimed the investigation was politically motivated to smear the image of Warisan ahead of the 14th general election but Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and MACC denied this, saying the agency operated independently.