According to an MACC source, the suspects, aged between 34 and 58, were arrested when they came to the MACC headquarters here to give their statements.

The nine individuals comprise four company owners, a medical consultant, an accountant, a company director, a chief executive, and a chief operating officer.

Two of the suspects were believed to have solicited and received RM14.9 million in bribes from three other suspects to secure a grant for their company via three other companies between 2018 and 2020, according to the source.

All the suspects have been remanded for between three and six days beginning today on an order issued by magistrate Shah Wira Abdul Halim at the Putrajaya magistrates’ court today.

MACC special operations division senior director Tan Kang Sai, when contacted, confirmed the arrests for investigations under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.