PUTRAJAYA – Three more individuals have been remanded to assist in the probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into the sale of government revenue stamps and foreign workers’ temporary working visit pass (PLKS) stickers, resulting in losses of more than RM15 million.
The six-day remand order effective today until February 23 was issued by magistrate Shah Wira Abdul Halim after allowing the application by MACC at the magistrate’s court here today.
Yesterday, a five-day order until February 21 was made on four other individuals to facilitate the case investigation.
According to an MACC source, the seven men, aged 30 to 39, comprised four employees of a security printing company and three civilians.
Yesterday, 2,500 government revenue stamps valued at RM250 and RM10 each, with a total value of RM12.5 million, were seized during a massive operation around Kuala Lumpur.
The source said the RM250 government revenue stamps were each sold at RM40 to RM60 on the black market and the RM10 ones at RM5 to RM6 each.
The syndicate was also selling the PLKS stickers with security features for the use of the Immigration Department, with each sold at RM700 to RM800 on the black market, the source added.
The PLKS stickers, issued according to job sectors, actually cost RM2,000 to RM3,000 each.
The syndicate’s modus operandi was to bribe the printing company’s employees to smuggle out the PLKS stickers and government revenue stamps from the storage room, to then be sold on the black market through three civilians.
The source said intelligence work on the syndicate for more than six months with the cooperation of the Immigration Department found that the syndicate had been active for the past three years, raking in millions of ringgit in profit.
Meanwhile, MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (Operations) Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya confirmed the arrests when contacted, and said the case was being investigated under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009. – Bernama, February 18, 2021
