MACC ‘puzzled’ by silence in probe on Immigration Department

ALOR SETAR: It took the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) about a year to probe the alleged corrupt practices of an Immigration officer involving bribes totalling more than RM27.9mil.

Kedah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fauzi Mohamad said the investigation was an effort by the commission’s headquarters and its Kedah intelligence unit.

“We never received any report or information from the Immigration Department. I’m puzzled,” he said here yesterday.

Mohd Fauzi was commenting on a statement issued by Immigration Department director-general Datuk Mustafar Ali, who said that the department had cooperated with the MACC and provided it with intelligence into the matter.

“We were puzzled and disappointed with the statement but yes, we do appreciate their pledge not to compromise with or protect any officer involved in corruption and to work with the MACC,” he said.

The investigations into the alleged corruption case have seen five arrests made so far – a 37-year-old Immigration officer who was transferred to Padang Besar in Perlis from Putrajaya early last year, an enforcement officer based at the Padang Besar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex and three contractors, including a 53-year-old Datuk.

Mohd Fauzi said the total amount of money and “assets” seized in the case totalled about RM6.57mil, including RM1.5mil in cash which was seized from the Datuk’s house in Penang on Wednesday. A fixed deposit account of his involving RM1.5mil was also frozen.

The Datuk, who is a contractor with car wash businesses, was the latest to be picked up on Tuesday at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Mohd Fauzi said the Datuk acted as a proxy for the main suspect.

“The total amount seized is RM6.57mil. We believe that there is more money hidden and given to proxies to be kept,” he said, adding that more arrests might be made soon.

After the Grade 42 Immigration officer was detained on Monday, MACC seized five luxury cars, a superbike, 13 luxury watches and 13 branded handbags.

Checks also found that he had a fixed deposit account of about RM1mil. The money and items seized from him on Monday totalled close to RM2.5mil.

Mohd Fauzi said there were more assets and cash to be seized, amounting to millions of ringgit kept by the suspect’s friend.