GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained 32 individuals, including three doctors in Penang, to assist in an investigation of a cartel allegedly involved in falsifying Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) disability claims.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the arrests, stating that the detained individuals include two senior doctors from a government hospital and a specialist doctor from a private hospital.
He added that the detainees comprise 19 Perkeso contributors, eight agents, three doctors, and two ‘runners’, who were picked up during a series of raids conducted by the MACC recently.
“Most of the detained contributors are employed in the factory and port sectors in the state, and we expect to make more arrests as the investigation progresses.
“Some of the detainees, including the doctors, will be remanded in court tomorrow, while others have been released after their statements were recorded,“ he said this evening.
Azam stated that the MACC is focusing on the issue following revelations in the Dewan Negara last July.
“We take this matter seriously and have begun investigating the allegations,“ he said.
In July, the media reported that Senator Dr. R.A. Lingeshwaran urged the Ministry of Human Resources to clarify allegations that several doctors handling Perkeso disability claims had been suspended, for their purported link to a cartel falsifying such claims.
He reportedly informed the Dewan Negara that these doctors were suspended until further notice after Perkeso discovered the activities at a hospital in Penang.
Lingeshwaran, a former director of Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang, said that he had also learned of a cartel lobbying for the reinstatement of the suspended doctors.
He further highlighted that there were 683 fraudulent claims between 2018 and 2022, involving approximately RM43 million, with 16 cases connected to a particular doctor whose services were terminated after the fraud was uncovered.
