JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) detained a Johor Road Transport Department personnel to facilitate investigation on the issuance of driver’s licenses that did not comply with the set procedures.
The officer, who is in his 40s, was arrested by MACC Penang yesterday and brought to Johor Baru Court here this morning in obtaining remand order.
JB court registrar Mohammad Salehudin Abd Sani ordered a seven-day remand until Tuesday next week against the man.
The man was detained to facilitate investigation on allegations of accepting bribes to issue driver’s licenses that had expired through illegal means.
It was the first of such case involving Johor RTD staff.
Transport Ministry had previously revealed that about 14,000 driver’s licenses were suspected to be issued without undergoing proper procedures since two years ago, following the disclosure of a syndicate selling ‘lesen terbang’.
Minister Anthony Loke had asked driver’s license obtained through illegal means to be surrendered to RTD’s Integrity Unit within a month starting from Sept 12.
Those who held such licenses after the deadline could be called in to have their statements taken under Section 114 of the Road Transport Act 1987.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of RM5,000 fine and a jail term.
Loke had said ‘lesen terbang’ was sold at the price of between RM2,000 and RM3,500 each, with licence holders were Malaysians and foreigners, especially from China.
The syndicate was believed to have a modus operandi whereby drivers would submit applications through the Foreign Driving License Conversion procedure, despite the fact that they had never been abroad and had never owned a foreign driving licence before.
Following the investigation, the ministry had suspended the 12 RTD personnel who had been detained by MACC in Perlis, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah and Sarawak.