PUTRAJAYA (Jan 8): A former Malaysian Army chief, Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, and his two wives have been detained over alleged irregularities in military procurement tenders.
Magistrate Ezrene Zakariah on Thursday granted the application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and ordered Muhammad Hafizuddeain to be remanded for seven days. His first wife is to be detained for three days and his second wife six days. All remand orders begin on Jan 8.
Nizamuddin Hamid, who represents the suspects, said the defence is seeking additional court orders to ensure the suspects are granted access to legal counsel throughout the investigation.
“I requested a specific court order to allow my clients’ access to their lawyers,” Nizamuddin said, noting concerns over historically limited access to legal counsels during MACC investigations.
The court also allowed additional conditions, including regular medical examinations for Muhammad Hafizuddeain during the remand period. “He is still recovering and not in good condition,” the lawyer said.
All three suspects, dressed in orange MACC lock-up attire, arrived at the court compound at around 10am in a van and a car belonging to the graftbuster. The trio are being investigated under Sections 16, 23 and 28 of the MACC Act 2009.
There are two other persons detained by the MACC on Dec 23 as part of a wider probe into suspected irregularities in the procurement of defence-related projects.
The position of Malaysia’s Chief of Defence Forces — the highest-ranking officer in the Malaysian Armed Forces hierarchy — remains vacant after the appointment of Muhammad Hafizuddeain to the role was put on hold during the Armed Forces Council meeting on Nov 19.
In the interim, Navy chief Admiral Tan Sri Zulhelmy Ithnain has been appointed as acting Chief of Defence Forces. Muhammad Hafizuddeain was originally slated to succeed General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar who reached the mandatory retirement age.
Datuk Azhan Md Othman, previously Chief of Staff at the Malaysian Armed Forces headquarters, was promoted as the Chief of the Malaysian Army, effective Jan 1 to replace Muhammad Hafizuddeain.
On Tuesday, MACC secured a five-day remand order against another 17 company directors suspected of operating a cartel to fix tenders related to Malaysian Army procurements.
The suspects — comprising nine men and eight women aged between 20 and 60 — were detained on Monday while giving statements at the MACC headquarters.