JOHOR BARU, Aug 10 —The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) Mayor Datuk Adib Azhari Daud today for allegedly receiving bribes from contractors when he had been the mayor for the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP).

The 60-year-old sitting mayor and senior state government officer was detained at the Johor MACC office in Persiaran Tanjung here at 3pm to assist in investigations.

In a statement, Johor MACC director Datuk Azmi Alias confirmed the arrest.

"A remand application on the suspect will be made tomorrow at the Johor Baru Magistrate’s Court,” he said in the statement issued here today.

Adib was earlier arrested by the Johor MACC’s Batu Pahat branch investigators after investigations found that he allegedly received bribes from contractors for the approval of projects implemented under MBIP when he was the mayor at that time.

It is learnt that the alleged corruption took place before November 2019 as Adib became the MBJB mayor on November 17 of that year.

This is the first time in Johor’s history that a sitting mayor has been arrested for alleged bribery.

The case is being investigated under Section 17 (a) of MACC Act 2009 that is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act by maximum jail term of 20 years and a fine not less than five times the total value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.