The immigration department has dismissed 20 officers involved in “counter setting” activities at the country’s entry points, with another 227 currently under investigation for similar offences.
The 20 dismissed officers and the 227 still under investigation were previously stationed at the country’s entry points in KLIA, Penang, Kedah and Johor, immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said in a Berita Harian report.
He said the dismissals, carried out between 2022 and last Wednesday, followed court rulings finding the officers in question guilty.
“Dismissing these officers proves that the immigration department does not compromise on any wrongdoing by its staff that undermines the integrity and transparency of the service,” he said.
Zakaria also said that immigration staff holding critical positions, including those stationed at entry points and foreign worker counters, had been required to declare their assets since last year.
He said failure to do so would subject them to disciplinary action.
Zakaria said yesterday that his department had uncovered a cartel in which senior officers recruit new staff for counter setting activities by offering them lucrative rewards.
He said counter setting activities were first detected in the department in 2017, with new officers who refused to comply with the group’s instructions facing boycotts and isolation.
Counter setting involves selected travellers being allowed through immigration inspection without undergoing proper procedures.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission recently arrested 18 enforcement agency officers in Selangor, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan on suspicion of being involved in a counter-setting syndicate.
Various luxury items were also seized, including about 3.2kg of jewellery worth RM1.6 million and 75 pieces of gold with an estimated value of RM400,000 from six individuals.
The anti-graft agency has frozen 57 bank accounts with more than RM2.7 million linked to the syndicate.
