Malaysia will revoke all Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) that were approved irregularly and track down their holders for further enforcement action.
The country’s Immigration Department (JIM) said this on Friday.
The discovery irregular approvals came to light following a joint operation between the Immigration Department and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), reports The Star.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said revoking the irregularly approved PLKS was the first step after the operation uncovered the alleged fraud.
“Our first step is to revoke all PLKS that were approved irregularly and then trace the holders.
“At this point, I can only say they are at several locations. We cannot disclose further details because if we do so now, they may flee,”
Zakaria said at a joint press conference with MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman on Friday.
Abd Halim said investigations were ongoing and more individuals were expected to be called in to assist investigators. He said statements had been recorded from four people, with additional witnesses likely to be summoned as the probe progressed.
“The investigation is ongoing and we expect there will be more arrests and seizures as the probe continues,” he said.
He added that investigators were freezing and examining several personal and company bank accounts believed to be linked to the case.
Earlier on Wednesday, the MACC arrested 12 individuals, including six Immigration officers and a police officer, for their alleged involvement in a syndicate that hacked the Malaysian Immigration System (MyIMMs) to fraudulently approve PLKS applications.
According to the investigation, the syndicate allegedly manipulated the system by using PLKS quotas allocated in 2011 without paying the required levy before issuing 1,306 fraudulent PLKS, causing an estimated 2.4 million Malaysian ringgit in losses to the government.
During the operation, authorities seized186,360 Malaysian ringgit in cash and 700 US dollars, along with 16 mobile phones, six laptops, two desktop computers, two CPUs and a router. Investigators also seized gold and jewellery.
Those arrested included two company directors, three foreign nationals, four Immigration officers, two officers from the department’s Information Technology Division, and a police officer.
