KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27): Malaysia's Chief of Army General Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan has been put on leave with immediate effect on Saturday, amid an ongoing investigation against him by authorities, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The move is to give authorities space to conduct the investigation, Mohamed Khaled said in a statement, without elaborating.
Muhammad Hafizuddeain will be on leave until the investigation is completed, the minister said. "This administrative step is taken to ensure the investigation process goes smoothly without any conflict of interest," he added.
It was reported that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) commenced a probe over alleged irregularities in procurement of army projects on Dec 23.
At the time, MACC officers visited the Defence Ministry and focused their investigations towards open tender projects, as well as procurement under the "Pusat Tanggungjawab (PTJ) Tentera Darat".
The probe revealed that several companies repeatedly secured high-value contracts, according to reports quoting sources.
Muhammad Hafizuddeian has been serving as Chief of Army since September 2023, and was deputy between April and September that year.
Separately, Mohamed Khaled announced the appointment of Navy Chief Laksamana Tan Sri Zulhelmy Ithnain, 57, as acting Chief of Defence Forces, effective immediately.
This follows the mandatory retirement of General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar after reaching retirement age.
"The Ministry of Defence extends its highest appreciation for the service, leadership, and contributions of General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar throughout his tenure as the head of the Malaysian Armed Forces, and wishes that his retirement matters proceed smoothly," the statement read.
Mohd Nizam, born in August 1966, was promoted from the rank of lieutenant general in the Malaysian Armed Forces to serve as Malaysia's 23rd Chief of Defence Forces in January this year.