Nine snagged in probe on renewal of foreign workers permits

KUALA LUMPUR: Nine suspects including two women from a syndicate specialising in the renewal of foreign workers permits were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today for offering bribes to a staff of a government-linked agency to expedite the processing of the documents.
The suspects who are runners or agents had allegedly offered bribes of between RM50 and RM700 to the staff to process the work permits fraudulently.
The MACC said today that the suspects who are aged between 33 and 50 were held in simultaneous raids in Johor, Penang, Perak and Selangor.
It was a joint operation between the commission and MyEG Services after checks showed that corruption was rampant in the work permit renewal process that went through the company.
Investigations showed the suspects had allegedly given kickbacks to the officers who handed out approved permits to collect them on behalf of the applicants although the rules state that only the employers of foreign worker are allowed to claim the documents.
MACC director of investigations Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani who confirmed the arrests said the suspects will be remanded for further investigations on Friday.
"We view this very seriously as such act invites trouble and can compromise national security," he said.