PUTRAJAYA, Jan 13 — A former deputy director of a government agency and a private sector employee who were remanded to assist with investigations into an alleged RM270,000 bribe to obtain a Universal Service Provision (USP) project, were released today.

Magistrate Nik Muizzuddin Nik Muhammad allowed both men aged 42 and 43 to be released on bail of RM5,000 and RM2,000 respectively, in one surety.

Both suspects had arrived at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court at 9am handcuffed and in plain clothes.

The two men were previously detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for four days, beginning Thursday.

The civil servant was believed to have solicited bribes from the employee of the company in return for project approvals for the company.

According to a MACC spokesman, the two suspects were arrested at a shopping mall in Putrajaya on Wednesday, believed to be linked to a transfer of cash amounting to RM50,000, the remainder of the total bribe amount.

The suspect was alleged to have received the bribe money from the company in stages since 2015, for the approval of the project.

USP is part of the government’s efforts to expand communications and multimedia networks in underserved areas. — Bernama