TAKING BRIBES: Police to probe Immigration officers at KLIA, LCCT

KUALA LUMPUR - The Home Ministry will ask police to investigate the allegation that Immigration officers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) received bribes by letting in foreign illegals who used false documents.

Its deputy minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the ministry viewed the allegation seriously and that there should be a thorough investigation into this.

"I am shocked, sad and angry on hearing this. I will ask police to get to the bottom of this to bring those responsible to book." Wan Junaidi said this in response to a newspaper report claiming that each Immigration officer would at least receive RM10,000 for each foreign migrant smuggled in.

According to the report, the syndicate involved was only detected early this year but believed to have been carrying out this illegal activity for some years, targeting mainly workers from India and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, in PUTRAJAYA, Immigration director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said there was no need to station Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers at the KLIA and LCCT to prevent graft as the number of Immigration officers detected to have received bribes was small and isolated.

"We have detected the cases since early this year and have been monitoring.

"We regard the cases as small because in a week, only five or six foreigners were smuggled in compared to almost 39 million people using the KLIA and LCCT last year," he said when asked to comment on the same newspaper report.

Alias said although monitoring and investigations were being carried out, it was difficult for the department to detect the officers allegedly involved as there were no clear evidence but only hearsay. – Bernama