Malaysia

Immigration officers amass millions ‘left-right and centre’ in bribes to open gold shop

The husband-and-wife duo, both immigration officers, are alleged to have laundered illicit funds from a border corruption racket into a luxury gold business in Kuantan

Updated 11 months ago · Published on 15 Sep 2025 2:07PM

Immigration officers amass millions ‘left-right and centre’ in bribes to open gold shop
Wife reportedly involved in the Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK) in Melaka, where she allegedly exploited her position in foreign worker management to collect bribes - September 15, 2025

THE MARRIED couple, both serving officers in the Immigration Department, are under investigation for allegedly raking in millions of ringgit in bribes—money which was reportedly used to open a high-value gold shop in Kuantan, registered under the names of their child and sibling to evade detection.

According to sources quoted by Harian Metro, the couple, both in their 40s and working in separate states, played distinct roles within the department to conceal their activities from authorities.

The husband was stationed at the enforcement counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), where he is suspected of being part of a counter setting syndicate, facilitating the unauthorised entry of foreign nationals lacking proper documentation.

His wife, meanwhile, was reportedly involved in the Labour Recalibration Programme (RTK) in Melaka, where she allegedly exploited her position in foreign worker management to collect bribes from third parties before being transferred to another division.

"Investigations reveal the female suspect seized opportunities for bribery during her time with the RTK programme," said a source.

"Her husband, meanwhile, was found colluding with enforcement colleagues at KLIA in counter setting operations," the source added.

Earlier reports from Harian Metro revealed that the couple had accumulated hundreds of thousands of ringgit in bribes over a four-year period. The illicit earnings were allegedly funnelled into opening a gold business, purchasing luxury jewellery and vehicles, and establishing financial assets under proxies.

The couple reportedly received an average of RM50,000 per month in bribes in exchange for allowing foreign nationals to bypass immigration procedures.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which launched Op Rentas to crack down on these activities, has since frozen 57 bank accounts linked to the syndicate, amounting to more than RM2.7 million.

These include 48 personal accounts and nine corporate accounts.

In addition to the account freezes, over RM200,000 in cash was seized during the operation. - September 15, 2025

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