Immigration graft probe: 11 officers put on leave

 The officers were put on leave to ensure they are no longer involved in any official duties, said immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban.

The immigration director-general said the department will not protect officers, regardless of their rank, if they were involved in any wrongdoing. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The immigration department has placed 11 officers on leave until the completion of investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of power, immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said.

Zakaria said the 11, who were arrested separately in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, were put on leave to ensure they were no longer involved in any official duties, Sinar Harian reported.

Zakaria Shaaban.

“We will wait for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to complete its probe before taking further action,” he was quoted as saying.

On Thursday, MACC said 33 people, including enforcement officers and civil servants, had been remanded after raids in Putrajaya and three states, over their suspected involvement in a syndicate linked to various offences involving foreign nationals.

According to sources, 10 enforcement officers were arrested for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for not taking action against foreign workers for immigration offences, and for issuing visas, passes and permits without following proper procedures.

Other offences detected included submitting documents containing false particulars for applications and quotas for foreign workers.

Zakaria said the department will not protect officers, regardless of their rank, if they were involved in any wrongdoing. “If they are in the wrong, we will take action.”

On a related matter, Zakaria said that various disciplinary action had been taken against 834 immigration officers since 2023. Of the figure, 69 had been sacked.

This year alone, 81 officers were given the boot for disciplinary issues, he said. - FMT