ALOR SETAR: The lavish lifestyle of an Immigration officer raised more than a few eyebrows when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigators zoomed in on his activities and found suspicions of corrupt practices involving more than RM27.9mil.
The 37-year-old officer, who was transferred to Padang Besar in Perlis from Putrajaya early last year, had in his possession five luxury cars, including a BMW X6, BMW 320i and Toyota Vellfire, a BMW R1200 superbike, 13 luxury wristwatches and 13 branded handbags.
A check also found that he had a fixed deposit account of about RM1mil.
The total amount seized, including his house in Jitra, Kedah, was estimated to be close to RM2.5mil.
Sources said the officer was in the Grade KP42 salary range – RM1,471 to RM4,540 – for Immigration Department enforcement officials.
Kedah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fauzi Mohamad said the seized items were believed to have been obtained from ill-gotten gains.
“The bribes he obtained were during his time in Putrajaya. He had approved the work permits of 18,626 skilled and professional foreign workers from 339 applications at RM1,500 per worker,” he told a press conference yesterday.
Mohd Fauzi said the officer was arrested here on Monday by an MACC team, adding that they would scrutinise what he had approved during his tenure in Putrajaya and Perlis.
“We have asked the respective Immigration departments to provide us with a list of the companies that had sought approval for their workers from him.
“We will then ask the representatives of the companies to come forward,” he added.
On the same day, one of the suspect’s colleagues, aged 48, was picked up at the Padang Besar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. A 35-year-old contractor was arrested here.
The three were remanded for a week by a magistrate’s court pending further investigations into their activities.
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