A source at the MACC said the man had been jailed for corruption before.

An MACC officer has also been arrested, among three men and a woman, for allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM400,000 to prevent investigations into the controversial programme.

The four people were aged between 40 to 50 years old. The woman among them has been released on bail while the three others have been remanded until tomorrow.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed the matter when contacted. He said: “The MACC will not compromise with any officers involved in any activities that are against the law.”

The Jana Wibawa programme was introduced in November 2020 by the Muhyiddin Yassin government as a Covid-19 stimulus initiative to help Bumiputera contractors.

It became mired in controversy after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the costs were too high, and some projects had been approved without going through a tender process.

Muhyiddin has since been charged with abuse of power and money laundering. Last month, two other members of Bersatu were charged with accepting bribes in relation to Jana Wibawa. They are Tasek Gelugor MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad.

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