MACC nabs four for being smuggling ring's bribe paymasters

PUTRAJAYA: Four individuals, including a civil service officer, have been remanded for allegedly acting on behalf of a syndicate to pay bribes so that goods can be smuggled into the country.

It is learnt that the four, aged from 30 and 50, were arrested at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters here at about 4pm on Tuesday (March 12) when they were called for their statement.

"The suspects are believed to act as middlemen for the syndicate to pay bribes to civil servants attached to an enforcement agency so that the smuggling activities will proceed smoothly.

"Investigations carried out so far show that the bribe money from the syndicate will be banked into the suspect's accounts and is later transferred to the accounts of the civil servants involved," said a source.

Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin allowed for the suspects to be remanded for three days until March 15.

MACC anti-money laundering division director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed that the four suspects were remanded.

The remand was a follow-up to a special operation carried out by the MACC anti-money laundering division, the Inland Revenue Board and Bank Negara on Monday (March 11), where eight individuals were arrested.

Four of the suspects - all civil servants, were remanded on Tuesday.

MACC investigators believed that the smuggling activities carried out by the syndicate over the past six years had caused a leakage of tax revenue estimated to be at RM400mil.

Sources said that investigators believe that more than RM8mil in bribes had been paid to several individuals, including civil servants, to enable the goods to be smuggled into the country.

The special operation also saw several items being seized, including handphones, laptops, personal computers, cash, houses and cars valued at almost RM6mil.

The MACC also froze 237 bank accounts involving RM12mil of deposits.