MACC arrests 34 Customs employees

A TOTAL 34 Royal Malaysian Customs Department officers and personnel of various ranks were arrested in a major operation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The two-week major operation codenamed Op Samba 2.0 conducted at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, uncovered tax evasion amounting to RM2 billion from the smuggling of contraband alcohol and tobacco.

The operation from March 11 to 25, focused on investigations into members and officers of the Customs Department who were on duty at the cargo section of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Sepang.

Also detained in the operation were 27 individuals and company owners, MACC said in a statement.

Ops Samba 2.0 was a collaborative effort led by MACC's Anti-Money Laundering Division (AML), with the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) and Bank Negara Malaysia.

Also seized were mobile phones, laptops and eight luxury vehicles belonging to the syndicate, while MACC has also frozen a total of 231 bank accounts belonging to companies and individuals, including mule accounts, totalling RM18 million.

"This operation uncovered a massive loss of national revenue which, if left unchecked, could have had ongoing negative repercussions on our economy," read the statement.

Legal proceedings have already begun with two Customs officers charged to date, while another 23 officers and personnel will be prosecuted across six separate Session Courts nationwide by June 6.

They face charges under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009 and Section 165 of the Penal Code. - The Vibes, May 23, 2024