PETALING JAYA: Thirteen Customs officers including a state director with the title 'Datuk' were remanded for seven days to help in Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations into illicit cigarettes and alcohol.
The men were arrested yesterday on suspicion of being involved in corrupt activities in the release of contraband items worth hundreds of millions of Ringgit in unpaid duties.
The suspects, aged between 32 and 57, are personnel of various ranks.
Magistrate Ahmad Solihin Abd Wahid allowed MACC to remand the suspects until next Wednesday to assist with investigations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act.
All of them were brought to the Petaling Jaya magistrate’s court at 9.50am here today by bus.
On Sept 3, 12 Customs officers, including a state director, were arrested for alleged corrupt activities.
The Customs director, who was arrested in Ipoh, had served in his position for about a year, following a stint as a director in a southern state.
The rest were picked up in the Klang Valley.
The arrests were the result of more than a year of intelligence gathering on the suspects, especially in the Port Klang Free Zone.
It is learnt that the syndicate had allowed high-quality cigarettes and liquor into the country.
The contraband was kept in the PKFZ and released after its minimal tax value had been declared.
Investigations revealed that the goods were brought in from Scotland, Sweden, Indonesia, Thailand, China, India and Cambodia.