Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has foiled an attempt to move RM2.4 million in cash, linked to its probe into suspected cartel activity concerning Malaysian Army procurement tenders. MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the cash was intercepted as it was being transferred between two residences by a civilian connected to the case.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azam Baki disclosed that the MACC acted on information received the previous day, and by the morning, officers had located and secured the cash. "This cash belongs to one of the suspects in the case," Azam stated when contacted.

In a separate development, Azam confirmed that a former high-ranking army officer and his wife presented themselves at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya. The officer's statement was recorded after his discharge from the hospital where he was treated for high blood pressure.

The MACC has recently secured a five-day remand order for 17 company directors suspected of operating a cartel to fix tenders for Malaysian Army procurements. A Magistrate issued the remand order until Jan 10, following an application by the Commission at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court. The suspects, comprised of nine men and eight women aged between 20 and 60, were detained while giving statements at the MACC headquarters.

This investigation marks the latest escalation in a widening probe, with the MACC having frozen six bank accounts believed to belong to a senior officer and family members connected to the case. The investigation, which began last year, has extended to the Ministry of Defence, reviewing projects awarded through open tenders managed by the Army Responsibility Centre. The case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.