PETALING JAYA: Sixteen people, including bank officers, have been called to assist in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption (MACC) investigation into a syndicate that enabled civil servants with bad debts to get personal loans from local banks.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the 16, who also include financial consulting firm employees, may be arrested.
The MACC uncovered the syndicate after RM700mil in loans were approved for civil servants involving a financial consulting company and bank officers in several financial institutions.
A dozen people were arrested around the Klang Valley on Monday when the MACC uncovered the syndicate’s activities in 24 locations including residences and offices.
“As of today, 4,000 documents have been seized and are being investigated,” Sinar Harian quoted Azam as saying yesterday.
“The bank officials arrested were of various positions and have been working between five and 20 years.”
He said the officers who managed loans would receive 0.5% to 1% of the loan value and, in some cases, bank officers would receive RM5,000 for a single loan case.
Azam said the MACC is listing the borrowers and they will be called up to provide statements in the near future.
In the Ops Sky raid, MACC also froze 70 company and individual accounts involving a value of RM16.2mil and seized nine vehicles of various makes.
The operation was in collaboration with Bank Negara where more than RM300,000 in cash in addition to HK$95,000 and 17 luxury watches estimated to be worth more than RM11.1mil were seized.
MACC investigations also showed that since 2020, the financial consulting firms involved had used the illegal proceeds to purchase assets, properties and luxury vehicles for personal use.