PUTRAJAYA, April 28 — Nine people, including two women, have been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for their involvement in a syndicate offering to renew foreign workers’ permits.
This follows cooperation between MACC and MyEG Services Sdn Bhd.
MyEG had been alerted of the activities of middlemen who carried out renewal procedures for foreign workers on the company’s portal, despite only employers being authorised to do so.
These agents were alleged to be in cohorts with individuals who were able to secure renewal receipts, and done without the presence of bona fide employers.
Investigators are working on the theory the middlemen had made payment to officials in MyEG.
Sources said amounts ranging from RM50 to RM700 were paid for each renewal application.
The operation to apprehend the suspects was carried out simultaneously in Selangor, Perak, Penang and Johor yesterday morning.
Three were arrested in Selangor and three in Johor, two in Penang, and one in Perak.
The nine, aged between 33 and 50, are being investigated under Section 16 (b)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.
MACC investigations director Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani confirmed the arrests but declined to comment.
In an unrelated investigation, a former vice-president of Malaysia Islamic Economic Foundation (Yapeim) was questioned by MACC officers yesterday, bringing to two questioned in as many days in connection with a criminal breach of trust investigation.
The 69-year-old was called at about 1pm to assist the MACC in connection with its investigation into the case involving RM223,000.
On Wednesday, a senior director of the foundation was arrested for alleged involvement in the case. He has been remanded until Sunday.
A source said the second suspect had, together with the senior director, connived to use the funds for personal gain when they were intended to be disbursed among the poor and needy.
“The money was from the company’s treasury and meant for a poor community in Rompin, supposedly to be handed to them in 2015,” the source said.
“To support their story, they presented a list of planned ‘recipients’ made up of fake identity card numbers, and of those who had passed away.”
The source said the money would have been sufficient to assist some 23 households and 1,000 people who were destitute.
Investigations revealed none had received disbursement.
Simi confirmed the arrest of the senior director.
