[UPDATED] Johor Regent's network helps expose military smuggling syndicate, says MACC chief

New Straits Times

2 days ago

CYBERJAYA: The Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, has played a pivotal role in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) probe into a drug and contraband smuggling syndicate involving senior armed forces officers in the southern region.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the agency had received a wealth of intelligence through the Johor Crown Prince's extensive network.
"As the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail has been cooperative and determined to see this issue eradicated. We have received a significant amount of information through his connections," he told reporters after the Anti-Corruption Student Convention here today.
On Wednesday, the MACC launched Op Sohor, an operation that led to the arrest of several senior military officers and five civilians, including two former soldiers who had become journalists. All five officers served in the Intelligence Division.
Initial investigations revealed that the senior officers, the main suspects in the case, allegedly leaked sensitive operational information to smugglers and colluded with the syndicate to bring prohibited items including drugs, cigarettes, and other contraband into Malaysia from neighbouring countries.
Azam clarified that the two journalists arrested were not working with mainstream media but had instead become enablers by leaking information to the syndicate.
The MACC is also probing the media company they established to determine whether it was used for money laundering.
He said the suspects had been passing on confidential information for the past four to five years, with illicit proceeds partly kept in cash savings while other funds might have been hidden elsewhere.
"We do not expect further arrests, but as investigations into money laundering continue, it is possible that others who benefited may also be investigated," Azam said, adding that foreign involvement had not yet been established.
He said that the leak of national security secrets was a grave matter requiring thorough investigation, adding that the armed forces chief and the military leadership had extended their full cooperation.
"We will examine all relevant laws, including those on corruption and money laundering. The suspects will also face military law, as they are subject to a martial court.