Four suspects in smuggling syndicate case remanded
PUTRAJAYA: Four people including a public officer have been remanded for their alleged involvement in smuggling activities.

The group is said to have acted on behalf of a crime syndicate to bribe the civil servants so that goods can be smuggled into the country.

It is learnt that the four aged between 30 and 50 were detained, after they were called in by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for their statement, at its headquarters here around 4pm on Tuesday.

“The suspects are believed to be the middlemen of a syndicate paying bribes to civil servants attached to an enforcement agency so that the smuggling activities could proceed smoothly.

“Investigations carried out so far showed that the bribe money from the syndicate is deposited into the suspects’ bank accounts before it is transferred to the accounts of the civil servants involved,” said a source.

Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin allowed for the suspects to be remanded for three days until March 15.

MACC anti-money laundering division director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed that the four suspects were remanded.

The remand was a follow-up to a special joint operation carried out by the commission’s anti-money laundering division, the Inland Revenue Board and Bank Negara on Monday.

A total of eight people were arrested in the operation.

MACC investigators believe that smuggling activities carried out by the syndicate over the past six years have caused a leakage estimated at RM400mil in tax revenue.

Sources said investigators believe that bribe money of more than RM8mil had been paid to several people, including civil servants to enable the goods to be smuggled into the country.

The special ops also saw the seizure of a list of items including handphones, laptops, personal computers, cash, house and cars valued at almost RM6mil.

The MACC had also frozen 237 bank accounts involving RM12mil.
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PUTRAJAYA: Four people inclu­ding a public officer have been remanded for their alleged involvement in smuggling activities.