This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 3, 2019 - April 9, 2019

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has obtained a four-day remand against a political secretary of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub for allegedly accepting a bribe in the form of a luxury watch worth about RM28,000.

The remand order, which started yesterday, was issued by Magistrate Ahmad Asyraf Mohammad Kamal in the Magistrate’s Court here.

The 47-year-old man arrived at the Magistrate’s Court here at 9.10am, uncuffed and clad in an MACC lock-up T-shirt.

He refused to cover himself even when one of the MACC officers offered him a suit jacket.

It was understood that the suspect was taken into custody at 5pm on Monday, after he came to give his statement at the MACC headquarters.

According to sources, the man was believed to have accepted the luxury watch as an inducement to enable a project developer to be awarded projects under the ministry’s purview.

The case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.

Salahuddin issued a statement on Monday stressing that he will not interfere in the investigation of his political secretary by the MACC.

The minister said he holds fast to the principle of the rule of law.