FORMER IMMIGRATION OFFICER DETAINED TO ASSIST IN OVER RM10 MLN GRAFT INVESTIGATION

KUANTAN, April 16 (Bernama) -- A former Immigration Department officer was detained yesterday to help in an investigation related to graft amounting to over RM10 million involving a syndicate smuggling foreigners into the country at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 and 2 without inspection.

The 50-year-old man was detained at the Pahang branch office of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at 11.55 pm.

The suspect, who took early retirement on Jan 1, 2024, has been remanded from today to April 22 to allow further investigations under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.

Meanwhile, Pahang MACC director Mohd Shukor Mahmud confirmed the arrest.

Yesterday, the media reported that three Immigration Department personnel, including a woman, had been arrested to assist in the same case investigation.

All of them were detained in an operation carried out by the Pahang MACC in Nilai, (Negeri Sembilan), Johor Bahru (Johor) and Kuala Lumpur.

They are believed to be involved in smuggling foreigners into the country without going through the authorities' inspection at the entry points from 2021 to 2024.

The syndicate is believed to have earned millions in bribes, which were also distributed to other immigration personnel. They were even accused of being 'tali barut' (lackeys) in releasing groups of foreigners who arrived without following the prescribed procedures through the 'counter setting' modus operandi at KLIA 1 and 2.

-- BERNAMA