THE Immigration Department had detected a cartel network currently under investigation, involving senior officers who recruit new staff to be part of corrupt practices at the country's entry points through 'counter setting' to obtain lucrative rewards.
Counter setting activities were detected in the department since 2017 and the refusal of any new officer to follow instructions of the group involved would result in them being boycotted and ostracized.
Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, when revealing this, admitted that many more immigration officers were involved in corruption at the country's entry points and will be subject to action in future with the cooperation of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
He said his department would continue to monitor those involved to collect evidence and ensure that officers who undermined the integrity of the department would not only be subject to internal disciplinary action but also be charged criminally.
"The arrests made by PDRM and MACC against immigration staff involved in corruption at the country's entry points were a result of information we gave them because if action was taken by our side alone, those guilty would only be subject to disciplinary action including dismissal.
"However, if criminal action is taken, they can also be charged in court with the seizure of assets or money obtained from the illegal activities.
"We admit that this misconduct is still ongoing, and many more immigration officers are involved though strict action has been taken. This is due to the organized and structured cartel culture of recruiting new members to continue the activities that offer lucrative rewards ... we know who they are," he told Berita Harian today.
In Ops Rentas conducted simultaneously in four states since Tuesday last week, the MACC Intelligence Division detected an Immigration officer with bribes of more than RM1 million in Tabung Haji (TH) accounts, in addition to more than RM400,000 in Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) accounts.
Selangor MACC in Ops Rentas seized various luxury items including about 3.2 kilograms of jewelry worth RM1.6 million and 75 gold bars worth approximately RM400,000 from six individuals including five immigration officers on duty at the country's entry points.
In addition, a couple, also immigration officers, was remanded in Melaka after it was found that they had opened a jewelry shop using illegal proceeds.
The couple, in their 40s, were detected by MACC operating the shop in Pahang, which was set up with a capital of RM600,000 - bribe money collected since 2020.
Zakaria said they received continuous complaints regarding corruption at the country's entry points and would share the information with MACC and PDRM so further detailed investigations could be carried out.
For example, he said, MACC would examine the case and trace the proceeds obtained by the officers involved in activities that could be linked to their involvement to facilitate prosecution
Commenting on the bribes received by the immigration officers involved in corruption, Zakaria admitted that most of them were seen enjoying a luxurious lifestyle by buying expensive assets and vehicles.
He said that cunning tactics were detected to be used to hide the proceeds of the corruption, including the purchase of luxury assets registered in the names of other individuals. – September 18, 2025
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