TAWAU: Nine people, including five Immigration Department officers, were remanded for six days today to facilitate investigations into a syndicate which smuggled illegal immigrants into Peninsula Malaysia.
Magistrate Leona Dominic Mojiliu granted the remand order until March 29 following an application from Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Wan Muhammad Iqmal Wan Ishak.
The five Immigration Department officers, aged between 41 and 30, comprised three women and two men. They were on duty at the Tawau Airport and were arrested between 2pm and 9pm yesterday under MACC's "Op Lancar".
The remaining four people, who were civilians suspected of being the syndicate's agents, were detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and around the Tawau district between 3pm and 5pm yesterday.
The suspects in this case were alleged to have received bribes of between RM100 and RM3,000 from agents as inducement to avoid taking action against illegal immigrants during checks at the Tawau Airport.
These illegal immigrants had allegedly used other people's identification cards.
The application for remand was made under Section 16(a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009.
Wan Muhammad Iqmal said based on investigations and intelligence, the activities of the syndicate started in 2021. It involved the smuggling of illegal immigrants from Sabah to the Peninsula via the airport.