KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — A senior official from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and a top executive will be charged over the alleged corruption involving the government’s Jana Wibawa scheme, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
The MACC announced the expected charges in an invitation for the press to cover the prosecution of the two at the Sessions Court here tomorrow.
According to the agency, the Bersatu leader was an office-holder in the party who won a federal seat for the first time in the 15th general election.
The other person was the chief executive officer of a company who is linked to a more senior Bersatu leader.
The judiciary’s publicly accessible e-filing system has since identified the Bersatu leader as Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the party’s information chief and Tasik Gelugor MP, while the CEO was Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad.
Both are expected to be charged separately tomorrow.
The MACC previously froze the bank accounts of Bersatu over an investigation into alleged corruption from the time that the party’s president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, was the prime minister.
The MACC has already questioned Muhyiddin over the allegations, while the former prime minister has also denied claims that a relative of his had benefitted from the alleged corruption.
Earlier today, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz confirmed the MACC has called him up over the Jana Wibawa project, but said he did not know what it was over. Tengku Zafrul was Muhyiddin's finance minister.
The Jana Wibawa, or ‘Program Jana Ekonomi Pemerkasaan Kontraktor Bumiputera Berwibawa’, was introduced by Muhyiddin administration, ostensibly to expedite project execution to spur the nation’s economic recovery post Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the government will postpone the RM5.7 billion worth of rural development projects under the Jana Wibawa scheme over suspected irregularities.
