4 MBSA Enforcement Officers Nabbed And Remanded After Viral Video Alleges Corruption
The arrests come after a senior police officer and the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) lodged reports against a man on the grounds that he was being defamatory by pointing out the authorities' alleged inaction against gambling dens.
By Sadho Ram — 12 Aug 2020, 04:02 PM
Following allegations of corruption, four enforcement officers from the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) have been nabbed and remanded for seven days for taking bribes from business owners in Sungai Buloh
While three officers, aged between 41 and 49, are attached to MBSA's Sungai Buloh branch, the fourth one, who is 39 years old, is from the Shah Alam branch.
The ones from the Sungai Buloh branch were arrested on Tuesday morning, 11 August, and the officer from the Shah Alam branch was taken in yesterday evening at 5pm.
All of them were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at its headquarters in Putrajaya when they turned up to give their statements, reported Malaysiakini.
Their remand order expires next Tuesday, 18 August. They are being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009, according to New Straits Times.
One other person, an undocumented migrant who is an Acehnese trader running a contraband cigarettes shop, was also remanded together with the MBSA enforcement officers.
He is accused of paying RM300 a month to enforcement officers to protect his business.
According to MACC deputy chief commissioner (Operations) Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya, the arrested officers received bribes of RM300 to RM3,500 a month from several business premises in Sungai Buloh
He described it as a bribe collecting syndicate among enforcement officers.
They are believed to have been running a protection racket for business premises such as unlicensed food stalls, contraband cigarettes shops, and gambling outlets.
They would sabotage planned operations by MBSA by leaking information to these business owners.
Meanwhile, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said that he does not rule out the possibility that other law enforcers are also involved
"I do not rule out the possibility that other law enforcers are also involved. Wallahualam. We will investigate," Azam said while urging for patience as the anti-graft agency takes the next course of action.
Azam also said that while his department has received information about vice activities being protected by allegedly corrupted law enforcers across the country, they need evidence and support from witnesses.
He thanked those who lodged complaints and acted as whistleblowers in fighting corruption.
The arrests come after a senior police officer and the MBSA lodged reports against a man on the grounds that he was being defamatory by pointing out the authorities' alleged inaction against gambling dens
The man, identified as 42-year-old Mohd Asri Hamid, had posted a video on Saturday, 8 August, along with a caption that read, "I might get killed for exposing this and if I do, I hope all of you will know who did it."
He then added, "Let me show you how the MBSA is biased, you can judge the integrity of the MBSA Sungai Buloh chief yourself." The video has since garnered over six million views.
Following the video's virality and police reports lodged against the man, district police chief Shafa'aton Abu Bakar said, "The video that went viral on social media could cause slander and ruin the image of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in their efforts to curb the illegal gambling syndicates at Sungai Buloh."
"The information in the video is inaccurate," Shafa'aton added.
