GEORGE TOWN: A total of 33 people including three doctors from separate hospitals in Penang have been remanded here for allegedly falsifying RM2.1mil worth of Social Security Organisation (Socso) disability claims since 2017.
The doctors, aged 36, 50, and 57, were remanded for two days while 30 others comprising 19 private sector employees, eight agents and three runners aged 26 to 60 were remanded between one and three days by a Magistrate's Court here on Wednesday (Sept 4).
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They were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Tuesday (Sept 3) to facilitate investigations under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009 for submission of false claims.
It is understood that the doctors, who are orthopaedic specialists, are from two public hospitals in Bukit Mertajam and Seberang Jaya while the other is with a private hospital in Butterworth.
The Health Ministry, in a statement, expressed its willingness to cooperate with the investigation and gave its assurance that no instances of abuse of power would be tolerated.
The arrests came after Penang Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran called on the government, particularly the Human Resources Ministry, to explain the alleged suspension of senior doctors handling Socso disability claims purportedly linked to a cartel in the state.
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Dr Lingeshawaran was said to have told the Dewan Negara that the panel was suspended until further notice after Socso discovered the alleged racket at a hospital in Penang.
Lingeshwaran, a former director of Hospital Sungai Bakap, said he understood that the cartel was lobbying for the suspended doctor to return to work at the same hospital.
He claimed that there had been 683 fraudulent withdrawals from 2018 to 2022 involving approximately RM43mil, 16 of which involved a doctor whose services had been terminated after the activities were uncovered.
