SHAH ALAM: Celebrities, including local artistes and icons, are on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) radar for their suspected involvement in a personal loan fraud syndicate.
According to Sinar Harian’s source, these individuals are believed to be linked to a financial consultancy firm that colluded with local bank officers to deceive bank borrowers, including civil servants, through overlapping loans.
The source explained that the artistes are suspected of having a connection following the recent arrest of eight company directors and 18 bank officers in the Ops Sky operation.
“These artistes are paid up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit for using their popularity to convince the public to use the services provided.
“They act as official ambassadors, with some receiving payments reaching up to RM400,000,” the source said yesterday.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the celebrities involved would be summoned to provide statements related to the ongoing investigation.
“The probe focuses on the involvement of these celebrities, following their acceptance of payments reaching hundreds of thousands of ringgit after being appointed as campaign ambassadors.“
At the moment, they have not been called up, but it is expected that several individuals will be summoned to assist in the investigation,” he said yesterday.
Recently, the MACC dismantled a corruption and money laundering operation involving a financial consultancy company and bank officers at several financial institutions.
This led to the arrest of 12 individuals in raids by the MACC’s Anti-Money Laundering Division in cooperation with Bank Negara at 24 locations through Ops Sky, covering residences and offices around the Klang Valley.
So far, 27 individuals have been detained, including 18 bank officers, eight financial consultancy company staff and an individual, all of whom have been released from remand on MACC bail.
MACC also seized about 4,000 documents and froze 98 bank accounts, with a total value of RM17,403,644.
