Penang councils call for action after bribery, extortion claims in videos
Several video clips on social media have made allegations against city council staff of bribery, abuse of power, extortion and physical threats.
PETALING JAYA : The two city councils in Penang have called for action over viral video clips alleging bribery and abuse of power by council staff in dealings with business operators.
The Penang island city council called for an investigation into two viral videos alleging bribery for allowing foreign nationals to operate businesses, Bernama reported. The videos, circulated on TikTok, also allege that council enforcement officers applied double standards in their operations.
Separately, the Seberang Perai city council said that it has launched an internal investigation into another viral video in which a man alleges that council officers abused their powers at his friend's business premises.
The viral video, which runs for two minutes, includes claims of extortion, threats against customers, wrongful detention of foreigners, and even an incident in which a local man was allegedly slapped after being mistaken for a foreign national.
The Penang island city council said two videos circulated on TikTok contained 'numerous false and biased claims which amount to slander and misrepresentation of the council'. It called for an investigation by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. The council said city councillors Tan Soo Siang, R Harikrishnan, Muhammad Khairul Mohd Ali, and Abdul Razak Rahman had also lodged police reports against the person who posted the videos.
The Seberang Perai council said an internal investigation has been launched and a meeting held with the business owner involved to gather detailed information about the incident. The council urged the business owner to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission if there was genuine evidence of corruption involving council staff.
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