20-3-2024 (KUALA LUMPUR) The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has apprehended 15 additional civil servants suspected of accepting bribes exceeding RM2 million from a syndicate engaged in illegal smuggling of tobacco, cigarettes, and alcohol through the country’s entry points.
The arrests were conducted by MACC’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Division under Operation Samba 2.0, in collaboration with the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) since last Monday (March 11).
According to sources, the men, aged between their 30s and 50s, were detained at around 2 pm at the MACC Headquarters here on Tuesday (March 19) while providing their statements.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that all of them are suspected to have been involved in these activities from 2017 to 2023.
“They are believed to have received more than RM2 million in bribes from the syndicate to facilitate the smuggling of chewing tobacco, cigarettes, alcohol, and several other items,” a source stated.
The MACC’s AML Division has also confiscated items such as mobile phones and frozen the bank accounts of all the individuals involved.
Earlier, the AML Division had arrested 11 individuals, including five civil servants, who were subsequently remanded to assist in the investigation. It is understood that the modus operandi of the syndicate includes using forwarding agents as intermediaries for payments to enforcement officers to ‘smoothen’ the process of smuggling alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco, and other items without undergoing declaration and inspection procedures.
The syndicate is also believed to be using mule accounts to conduct bribe payments to colluding civil servants.
Additionally, the syndicate is implicated in money laundering activities by laundering money using ghost company business accounts, through money changers, and licensed money lending companies.
Meanwhile, when contacted, AML Division director Dato’ Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed the arrests of the 15 suspects and said the case was being investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
