Five more Penang JPJ officers remanded in alleged lorry protection racket case

GEORGE TOWN: Five more enforcement officers from the Penang Road Transport Department (JPJ) have been remanded for seven days at a magistrate's court here.

This brings the total number of suspects being remanded over the alleged involvement in a lorry protection racket to 35.

Magistrate L. Uma Devi granted the seven-day remand order from Sunday (April 21) to April 27.

The case is being investigated under Section 17(a) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.

On Saturday (April 20), MACC arrested 22 enforcement officers from the Penang JPJ, believed to be involved in "protecting" lorry drivers.

The men, aged between 32 and 55, were arrested at the Penang Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office in Penang between 11am and 4.15pm Saturday (April 20).

Sources said that all of them were believed to have received a "monthly payment" of RM10,000 in total.

"We suspect that the accumulated amount received by this group has reached RM140,000 to date," said the source.

On Wednesday (April 17), the George Town magistrate's court had ordered 30 suspects, including 24 JPJ enforcement personnel, to be remanded for seven days ending Tuesday (April 23) to assist in the probe into their alleged involvement in corruption by protecting lorry drivers who committed various traffic offences around Penang.

According to sources, the enforcement officers are believed to have received monthly payment, totalling between RM10,000 and RM32,000.

The payment was an inducement to not take action against lorry drivers who committed road offences.

The payment was also for tip-offs, which the companies and drivers received to alert them about JPJ operations.