JOHOR BARU, Jan 9 — Two former office-bearers with a non-governmental organisation were arrested here yesterday for allegedly filing more than RM11,000 in false claims to a government department about two years ago.

The Johor chapter of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) made the arrests at its state office in Jalan Persiaran Tanjung here between 8.30pm and 9.30pm yesterday after the two men, aged 43 and 47, turned up to give their statements.

According to a MACC source, the older suspect was the NGO’s former chairman and held a "Datuk” title, while the other was its former treasurer.

"The Johor MACC arrested both men to assist in investigations involving the submission of false claims by the NGO to a government department amounting to more than RM11,000 at the end of January 2021.

"It is understood that the alleged false claims were conducted at a government department located in Johor Baru for implementing treatment and rehabilitation programmes that was not carried out,” said the source today.

Johor MACC director Datuk Azmi Alias, when contacted, confirmed the arrests of the suspects.

He said the case will be investigated under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009, which makes it an offence if one provides false claims with the intention to deceive the principal.

Both suspects will be brought to the Magistrate's Court here to obtain a remand application.

The MACC have recently been probing several false claims cases involving government departments for programmes that were not implemented.

Last Friday, Johor MACC arrested a 39-year-old woman attached with a state government-linked corporation for alleged false claims made from 2017 to 2019.

Anti-graft investigators alleged that the suspect submitted false claims to the GLC involved in relation to the implementation of programmes in Johor that were not fully implemented.