Immigration Officers Made RM18 Million In 2 Years By Smuggling Foreigners Into Malaysia
The 37 immigration officers involved in this scandal have been arrested by the authorities.
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 24 Oct 2016, 05:22 PM
37 immigration officers have been arrested for letting in foreigners illegally over the span of two years.
These unscrupulous officers have made a hefty sum of RM18 million in that period.
Mingguan Malaysia reported yesterday, 23 October, that these officers have altered the travel date of countless foreigners by being part of an immigration ring that has allowed these foreigners to come into Malaysia.
The 37 officers were arrested in the span of 8 months, starting from February till October this year. The authorities have also picked up another 37 suspects that are believed to be agents and syndicate members that are involved in this case.
According to Utusan Malaysia, the immigration officers earn a commission that is between RM200 to RM2,500 for each job they complete
Utusan Malaysia stated that they were given this piece of vital information about the amount of money these officers earn per job by an anonymous source from the police department.
"These officers are also believed to have changed the data in the immigration system to enable those who are blacklisted from entering the country to re-enter the country," said the anonymous source as quoted by the Malay Mail Online.
According to reports, almost 16,000 foreigners have spilled into Malaysia illegally from countries such as China, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam in the past two years.
Mingguan Malaysia also mentioned that these people usually come in through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), Sibu and Bintulu airports in Sarawak.
Most of the officers arrested have been charged or detained under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 or the Prevention of Crime Act 1959.
Some are still in custody, while the rest have been released on guarantee bonds.
The police source reportedly said that four of the immigration personnel were still under arrest for initial investigation, while four others have been charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007.
"Six others are detained under the Prevention of Crime Act (Poca) 1959, 11 others have received the restraining order under Poca while 12 suspects, including the wife of an actor have been released on guarantee bonds while awaiting the decision by the Criminal Prevention Board," the source was quoted as saying.
themalaymailonline.com