Meat cartel scandal: Ex-Maqis officer jailed 3 years, fined RM15k for graft

New Straits Times

11 hours ago

KUALA LUMPUR: A former Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) officer has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment and fined RM15,000 for accepting a RM2,500 bribe to release uncertified frozen meat linked to the notorious meat cartel syndicate.
Johor Baru Sessions Court Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail handed down the sentence against Mohd Hafizan Khalid after ruling that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Mohd Hafizan, who was an assistant enforcement officer with Maqis and supervised the department's entry point at Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas, will face an additional six months' jail if he fails to pay the fine.
He was charged in May 2021 with accepting RM2,500 as an inducement to release a container of frozen meat belonging to Syarikat ZS Armin Sdn Bhd, originating from countries not recognised by the Veterinary Services Department.
In delivering his grounds of judgment on Aug 15, Ahmad Kamal said the prosecution's evidence was both credible and compelling, while the accused's cross-examination failed to cast any reasonable doubt.
"I am satisfied that the prosecution proved the accused had corruptly received RM2,500 as gratification. The payment clearly fell within the meaning of gratification under Section 3 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act.
"It was received after he released the unauthorised frozen meat, and he knew his actions were wrong," the judge said.
He added that the accused's defence amounted to nothing more than bare denial.
"His claim that he had done nothing wrong was contradicted by the overwhelming incriminating evidence presented by the prosecution. A denial without supporting evidence is insufficient to create reasonable doubt.
"The accused failed to explain away the prosecution's case. By releasing unauthorised frozen meat, he had breached the trust placed in him."
The court noted that his actions were far from trivial, as they undermined public confidence in the integrity of meat imports into the country.
"This was not merely a personal crime, it was one that affected society and the nation. Corruption, particularly involving enforcement agencies, erodes public trust," Ahmad Kamal said.
Mohd Hafizan has since filed an appeal against both his conviction and sentence at the High Court.
Previously, New Straits Times and Berita Harian reported that the cartel had been importing uncertified meat and passing it off as halal in Malaysia for over 40 years. The cartel sourced meat from non-halal-certified slaughterhouses in countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Spain and Mexico.
The meat was smuggled out of ports, taken to warehouses, mixed with halal-certified meat, repackaged with counterfeit halal logos, and then sold on the market. Authorities have so far seized uncertified meat worth RM6.47 million.