2 days ago
Travel agency director among two Bangladeshis held for bribing KLIA enforcement officers
KUALA LUMPUR: Two Bangladeshi men, including the director of a Kuala Lumpur-based travel agency, have been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for allegedly masterminding a syndicate that facilitated the entry of foreigners by bribing enforcement officers at Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Sources said the suspects, both in their 50s, were arrested in an operation conducted in Negri Sembilan between 5pm and 7pm yesterday.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects acted as agents for foreign nationals, bribing enforcement officers at the airport to ease the entry process for these individuals at the country's entry points.
"The syndicate's modus operandi involved approaching enforcement officers at the airport to engage in 'counter-setting' activities.
"The officers involved would then facilitate the immigration clearance process for these foreign nationals," the source said.
Both suspects have been remanded for six days starting today until July 20 to assist in investigations into the case.
Yesterday, the MACC's Intelligence Division carried out a joint integrated operation known as Op Recruit in Negri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur.
The operation, conducted jointly with the Border Control and Protection Agency and the Immigration Department's Intelligence and Special Operations Division, also involved members of the MACC's elite Anti-Corruption Tactical Squad, following intelligence gathered since early this year.
During the raids, the MACC seized three mobile phones and various foreign currencies, including US dollars, Indonesian rupiah, and Bangladeshi taka, with a total value of about RM16,000.
According to the source, between January and early this month, the MACC detected 10 transactions amounting to about RM138,000.
"Preliminary investigations showed that for each foreigner, enforcement officers were bribed between RM1,800 and RM2,500.
"Payments were made in cash through middlemen, typically inside vehicles or at the suspects' residences around Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan," the source added.
Meanwhile, MACC Intelligence Division Senior Director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin confirmed the arrests when contacted.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 16(b) of the MACC Act 2009.
