PUTRAJAYA: The Immigration Department will revoke all Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) found to have been approved irregularly and track down the pass holders for further enforcement action.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the move was the first step after the discovery of irregular PLKS approvals through Ops Crack, a joint operation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
"Our first step is to revoke all PLKS that were approved irregularly and then trace the holders.
"At this point, I can only say they are at several locations. We cannot disclose further details because if we do so now, they may flee," he told a joint press conference with MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman here on Friday (July 31).
Meanwhile, Abd Halim said investigations were ongoing, with more individuals expected to be called in to assist investigators.
He said the MACC had recorded statements from four people, with more witnesses expected to be summoned as the investigation progresses.
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"The investigation is ongoing and we expect there will be more arrests and seizures as the probe continues," he said.
He added that investigators were freezing and examining several personal and company bank accounts believed to be linked to the case.
It was reported earlier that 12 individuals, including six Immigration officers and a police officer, were arrested by the MACC for alleged involvement in a syndicate that hacked the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs) to fraudulently approve PLKS applications.
The syndicate is believed to have manipulated the system by using PLKS quotas allocated in 2011 without paying the required levy before issuing 1,306 fraudulent PLKS, causing an estimated RM2.4mil in losses to the government.
During the operation, the MACC seized RM186,360 in cash and S$700, along with various electronic devices including 16 mobile phones, six laptops, two desktop computers, two CPUs and a router.
Investigators also seized gold and jewellery with an estimated total value of RM15,700.
Those arrested in the joint operation comprised two company directors, three foreign nationals, four Immigration officers, two officers from the department's Information Technology Division, and a police officer.
