Airport maintenance officials Antonio Bio, foreground, and Dennis Hirokawa, second from right, are taken into custody today at the main terminal. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Arrested were Dennis Hirokawa, the airport's maintenance superintendent, and Antonio Bio, maintenance supervisor.

Neither man had any comment as the pair were led away in handcuffs from the main terminal at the airport.

A third suspect in the case, Richard Okada, is on emergency leave from his job as statewide director of the airports Visitor Information Program and was not at the airport when Hirokawa and Bio were arrested.

The Attorney General's office had no comment on the arrests, but chief investigator Donald Wong said more information may be released later today.

Bio was arrested last week by state sheriff's deputies in a separate investigation of theft of plants from the airport, officials said.

Today's arrests follow a raid by state investigators last week of the offices of Hirokawa and Okada at the airport.

The investigation centers on millions of dollars in airport construction and repair contracts awarded by airport personnel to private firms since 1995.

Chief investigator Wong said last week the case involves "allegations of forgery, conspiracy to commit theft, theft and bribery related to small purchase contracts."