Another Immigration officer held in Sandakan, dubious visit passes: Net widens
Published on: Saturday, February 07, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Anti-graft officers are now going after those who had fraudulently obtained long-term social visit passes after picking up yet another immigration officer in Sabah.It was learnt that the latest arrest involved a 37-year-old immigration officer who was picked up in Sandakan on Friday.The latest arrest brings the figure of those nabbed in connection with the issuance of dubious long-term social visit passes to Pakistanis to 11, eight of whom are immigration officers. ADVERTISEMENT A source from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) peninsula headquarters said the eight officers picked up for questioning were mostly Sabahan officers.It was, however, reliably learnt that among them was a married couple from the peninsula based in the State. "MACC has caught most of the main culprits and is now tracing those who had engaged their services to obtain the long-term social visit passes," said the source when contacted by Daily Express on Friday. "We cannot reveal too much as this would disturb investigations particularly when many have already started to go into hiding," he said without elaborating. ADVERTISEMENT Until the latest arrest, seven officers from the Lahad Datu Immigration Department and the State capital were called in for questioning since Monday. A woman clerk and two Pakistanis, one of whom is believed to have been the go-between in the scam, were also brought in for questioning. Meanwhile, the Pakistani said to be the middleman in the illegal activities, who was arrested on Thursday, was remanded for four days by the Tawau Magistrate's Court. The magistrate granted the remand application for the 52-year-old Pakistani made by the case Investigating Officer Mohammad Isamlee Ariddin from MACC.
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The Pakistani was remanded to facilitate investigation under Section 17(b) of the MACC Act 2009 for offering bribes. Counsel Ariel Dasan, who stood in for counsel P. J Perira, represented the Pakistani.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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During the initial arrest of four immigration officers and the woman clerk on Monday, the MACC confiscated two cheques for RM175,000 and RM7,500 during a raid on the suspects' house. MACC also seized cash amounting to RM50,000 from another house and several related files from the Lahad Datu immigration office for investigations.