Video of enforcement officer receiving money goes viral

SHAH ALAM: A video of what appears to be an enforcement officer receiving money from a shop in a shopping mall in Kelana Jaya has gone viral on social media.

In the 15-second clip, the shop's cashier is seen handing over money wrapped in a white piece of paper to the officer, who is in uniform.

"Many business owners have complained to me about this but no one had any evidence to prove it until now," said former Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) councillor Sean Oon when met at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office here on Monday (June 17).

Oon said the enforcement officer, whose face is clearly visible in the video, went back to the shop and demanded to talk to the restaurant owner after the video went viral.

The incident is believed to have taken place a week before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

Shop owners were asked to pay a sum of between RM100 to RM300 to avoid being fined by the enforcement officers doing routine checks.

The enforcement officers were checking shops with illegal promotional materials hung outside or within their premises.

"The enforcement officers visited the shops a day before to inform the owners and told them if they wanted to be 'safe' from being fined they would need to pay a sum," claimed Sungai Pelek assemblyman Ronnie Liu.

Those who did not pay were slapped with fines of up to RM1,000 from the city council, he said.

"This is a very serious case and this is not the first time it has taken place in Selangor. We have received complaints from the Pandan area in Ampang area as well," he said.

Liu said only four restaurants approached him and have paid the enforcement officers while the rest received summonses.

Liu accompanied the business owners to Selangor MACC to lodge the report.

According to Liu, Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohd Sayuthi Bakar has been informed of the video and the officers involved.

However, Petaling Jaya City Council declined to comment on the issue when contacted.- Star