The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested five more immigration officers for allegedly conspiring to hack the Malaysian Immigration System to enable the unlawful approval of Temporary Employment Visit Passes.
The five suspects, four men and one woman aged between their 30s and 40s, were arrested at about 1pm on Monday when they turned up at MACC headquarters in Putrajaya to have their statements recorded, Malay Mail reported.
The arrests are part of the ongoing Op Crack investigation. Preliminary findings indicate the officers colluded in hacking the MyIMMs system while assisting in the approval of PLKS applications without following proper procedures.
“Following the arrests, the MACC seized five mobile phones belonging to the suspects,” a source said.
To date, the commission has recorded statements from 17 individuals. According to The Vibes, the MACC also froze nine bank accounts involving approximately RM300,000. The frozen accounts include four belonging to individuals and two owned by companies.
MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman confirmed the arrests and said the case is being investigated under Sections 17(a) and 16(a) of the MACC Act 2009. All five suspects were remanded until 6 August by Putrajaya magistrate Ezrene Zakariah.
The latest arrests follow a joint operation on 28 July in which 12 individuals were detained, including six immigration officers, two company directors, three foreigners and a police officer, across the Klang Valley and Penang.
The Immigration Department has since announced it will revoke all 1,306 Temporary Employment Visit Passes that were unlawfully approved following the compromise of the MyIMMs system. Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the fraudulently approved passes generated no revenue for the government and that cancellations would be implemented immediately.
