Living the good life on ill-gotten gains

MACC seizes close to RM2.5 million worth of assets from an immigration officer said to have accepted bribes for the approval of work permits.

PETALING JAYA: Luxury cars, expensive watches, branded handbags – it’s the life many dream of, but alarm bells began ringing when it was learnt that such a lifestyle was associated with a person in his mid-30s who earns below RM4,540 a month.

In Alor Setar, a 37-year-old immigration officer has now come under the scrutiny of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on suspicion of corrupt practices involving over RM27.9 million, The Star said.

Despite sources who told the daily that the officer was in the Grade KP42 salary range of RM1,471 to RM4,540, MACC has reportedly seized assets totalling nearly RM2.5 million.

These include the officer’s house in Jitra, Kedah, a BMW X6, BMW 320i, Toyota Vellfire, a BMW R1200 super bike, luxury watches and a number of branded handbags, the report said.

The officer’s fixed deposit account alone showed around RM1 million.

According to Kedah MACC director Mohd Fauzi Mohamad, the officer was arrested on Monday and remains under scrutiny for allegedly accepting bribes for the approval of work permits while stationed at Putrajaya.

“The bribes he obtained were during his time in Putrajaya. He approved the work permits of 18,626 skilled and professional foreign workers from 339 applications at RM1,500 per worker,” Fauzi was quoted as saying.

He added that MACC had asked the respective immigration departments for a list of companies that had sought the officer’s approval for work permits, after which they would ask the companies’ representatives to come forward, he said in the report. -FMT