Malaysia arrests enforcement officer for taking bribes to facilitate visa applications of Bangladeshi nationals
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested two men on Friday (28 July) on suspicions of accepting bribes to approve visa applications by Bangladeshi nationals entering Malaysia, allegedly for tourism purposes, reports Malay Mail.
Citing sources the report said enforcement officials accepted bribes to approve visa applications by Bangladeshi nationals entering Malaysia, supposedly for tourism purposes.
"The result of the investigation found that the officer is believed to have conspired with employment agencies in Bangladesh and Malaysia by deliberately abusing the Foreign Visa System (VLN) to bring in Bangladeshi citizens to work in Malaysia since 2021.
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"The investigation also found that the officer is believed to have received a payment of around RM1,363 (US$300) to RM2,272 for each approval of a VLN application, involving bribes totalling more than RM100 million, even though the visa payment set by the government was only RM105," the source said.
Subsequently, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission apprehended another person, who is believed to be the managing director of a manpower supply company, on suspicion of colluding with the aforementioned enforcement officer.
According to the sources, both individuals, aged in their 30s, were arrested around 6:30pm on Thursday when they were summoned to the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.
The arrested officer marks the third enforcement agency personnel to be arrested in connection with the investigation carried out under the operation codenamed 'Op Taka.' This operation was launched by the MACC's Anti-Money Laundering Division in conjunction with the Immigration Department in April last year.
Magistrate M Mageshwary granted permission for the two men to be remanded until 31 July at Malaysia's Shah Alam Court on Friday.
In response to inquiries, MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki verified the arrest of the two implicated individuals.
