KLIA incident: Two Chinese nationals return home, says MACC

 

The two Chinese nationals involved in the recent commotion at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) have returned to their home country today, said MACC chief Azam Baki.

Speaking to reporters today, Azam said he was informed of the women’s return to China by KLIA.

They came to the country as tourists and were not prevented from leaving. They are not suspects,” he said after attending MACC’s engagement event with media personnel at The Everly Hotel, Putrajaya.

He also said the anti-graft body had recorded statements from at least 14 individuals on the incident last Thursday (June 29).

“This includes statements from the two women, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing and eight immigration officers,” he said.

Last Thursday, BebasNews reported that a minister allegedly broke safety protocols and barged past immigration counters to "rescue" a tourist under detention.

Tiong later admitted he was the one implicated in the report but said his "rescue" of the woman exposed corruption among officials in KLIA and that the Chinese national was not the first to receive such treatment when arriving in Malaysia.

Yesterday, a source close to the case said that MACC officers had recorded statements from Tiong and the two Chinese nationals over the incident.

The MACC source also revealed that the anti-graft busters were also hunting for an individual who acted as an agent who allegedly solicited bribes amounting to RM18,000 from the Chinese tourist, who was stuck at KLIA, to help her get through immigration checks.

Meanwhile, Azam said the “agent” in question is believed to be a foreigner and has a link to a company set up at KLIA.

“The company had been given a contract by (MAHB) Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad since 2017 to manage travellers who are slapped with (the immigration department’s) (NTL) “Not To Land” notices,” he said.

Elaborating, he said MACC will also record a statement from the company soon.

“The company will be investigated for whether it received money legitimately or illegitimately. And if illegitimate, it’s related to bribery.”

He added that there were a total of 41 NTL notices which were issued by the immigration department on the day of the incident. - Mkini