ASP and cop among seven held over bribes involving illegal workers

PETALING JAYA: An assistant superintendent of police (ASP) and a corporal were among seven people rounded up by anti-graft officers in Sarawak.

The other five were factory and outlet opera­tors based in Sibu, Miri and Kuching.

All seven, aged between 25 and 59, were detained in a sting operation between 11am and 2.45pm yesterday.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director of investigations Datuk Simi Abd Ghani confirmed the arrests.

The operators offered bribes to the enforcement officers from taking action against them. They were apparently harbouring illegals.

Sources said the foreigners entered the coun­­try, particularly in Sarawak, to work illegally.

A majority of them have no travel documents or work permits. Some were involved in crime, posing a threat to public safety.

“Acting on this information, MACC officers carried out a probe before making the arrests,” a source said.

Checks by the MACC showed that the opera­tors were bribing not just the police but Immigration officers and other enforcement officials who came to raid the business pre­mises.

In Johor, the MACC detained a lance corporal for turning a blind eye on illegal workers.

The suspect, aged 29, was believed to have received bribes in several transactions over the illegals employed at a wood factory in Kluang.

All the three policemen will be investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009 and the business operators, under Section 17(b) of the same Act.