Regulators detain two legislators from Malaysia's opposition party

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's anti-corruption watchdog arrested two state lawmakers from opposition leader Anwar Ebrahim's party for alleged bribery on Wednesday, complicating Anwar's bid to re-enter Parliament.

Opposition groups expressed concerns that the arrests were meant to undermine public support for Anwar ahead of next week's parliamentary by-election. Anwar has persistently accused Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration of rampant corruption and has pledged to seize power by mid-September.

The government's Anti-Corruption Agency said it detained two legislators and four other suspects in northern Perak state for alleged crimes in connection to a 180-million-ringgit (Dh205.5 million) housing project and a sex case.

One of the legislators was "caught shortly after receiving a bribe of over 123,400 ringgit to speed up the processing of a housing project," the agency said.

It did not elaborate on the alleged sex case.

An agency official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to make public statements, said the legislators were from Anwar's People's Justice Party, but he denied the crackdown was politically motivated.