GEORGE TOWN, July 18 — A former Penang Forestry Department assistant engineer and a company owner have been remanded six days starting today for alleged graft involving RM16,000.

Assistant Registration Muna Maria Azmi issued the remand order to allow investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.

According to a MACC spokesman, the former assistant engineer, 33, had asked for payment of RM16,000 from a company in order to get projects for the company.

"It is believed that the sum was paid to him as an inducement for him to help the company to get projects through tenders called by the department,” the spokesman said.

The suspect is also believed to have played a role in verifying the work completed by the company.

It is learnt that the company owner, 45, had banked the sum into the bank account of the 33-year-old’s wife.

Both men were separately arrested between 4.30pm and 6.30pm yesterday when they turned up at the Penang MACC headquarters to have their statements recorded.

Penang MACC director Datuk Wan Ramli Wan Abdullah confirmed the arrests.