PETALING JAYA: A company director has become the eighth person to be arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in its ongoing investigation into the meat cartel scandal.
The 36-year-old was arrested in Johor Bahru.
In a statement, MACC said some 27 people have also been called in as witnesses, including workers, import agents and government officials.
“The MACC is investigating the case under the MACC Act 2009 in relation to bribery, submitting false claims and relevant offences for falsifying documents.”
MACC said it was actively investigating the case, analysing information and gathering evidence.
It added it will make several more arrests.
It was previously reported that senior officers from at least four government agencies were believed to be working hand-in-glove with a cartel specialising in bringing non-certified meat, including kangaroo and horse meat, into Malaysia and passing it off as halal-certified products.
Unnamed sources were quoted by the New Straits Times as claiming these senior officers, entrusted with ensuring that halal standards were upheld, had instead received bribes and sexual services in exchange for ensuring the cartel’s operations went undetected.
The only countries that have been certified by the Malaysian authorities for the import of halal meat are Australia, Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa, Pakistan, Japan, New Zealand and the US, with imports handled by Jakim and the Veterinary Services Department.
