A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) source said the two men, who worked as teaching staff at the statutory body, were remanded for four days until May 8. They were arrested yesterday when they gave their statements at the state MACC office.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that both suspects allegedly colluded to commit the offence last year, with the bribes solicited in exchange for the ‘immediate approval’ of competency certificates for course participants.

“Both suspects are believed to have received between RM900 and RM1,500 for each of the 31 participants, with payments made via bank transfers into their personal accounts,” the source said.

The source also said the commission was investigating whether the certification fraud occurred on a larger scale, adding that all certificates issued by the agency might be reviewed to verify their authenticity.

Terengganu MACC director Hazrul Shazreen Abd Yazid confirmed the arrests and remand, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009 for soliciting, receiving, or agreeing to accept gratification.

He did not rule out the possibility of further arrests in the case.