KOTA KINABALU: Nine contractors who submitted false bank statements in their bid for a canteen management contract worth RM200,000 were arrested by graft investigators in Tawau.

       Sources said the suspects, aged between 29 and 56, committed the offence while tendering for the two-year canteen management contract in 2017.

       It was understood that the contractors comprising four women and five men, were arrested at 10am yesterday at the Tawau MACC office.

       Sabah MACC director Datuk S. Karunanithy confirmed the arrests and said the case will be investigated under Section 471 of the Penal Code, adding that the suspects would be charged in the Special Corruption Court in Tawau soon.

       Last week, he said the MACC in Keningau had also arrested two contractors aged between 25 to 32 years for submitting false bank statements to bid for a RM5mil contract.

       He said the two suspects, a man and a woman, were arrested for allegedly submitting false bank account statements to obtain tenders for food supply services for primary and secondary boarding schools.

       Karunanithy warned contractors that submitting false documents to get contracts was an offence under the law, and urged them to stop the practice which he described as happening “often” in Sabah.