The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission revealed that the syndicate used code names such as “school boy” for Bangladeshis, “junta” for Myanmar citizens, and “soya sauce” or “roti canai” for Indian nationals.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the syndicate also called Chinese nationals “orange” and Vietnamese nationals “lychee” or “Nguyen”, while those from Pakistan and Indonesia were code-named “salak” and “carpet”.
Azam said Bangladeshis were the “priciest” of the lot, with corrupt immigration officers receiving a RM2,500 bribe for each national allowed into the country without the necessary checks.
The rates for the bribes varied based on the nationalities, with the second-highest being Myanmar nationals at RM1,500 per migrant, followed by Pakistan (RM1,300), Yemen (RM1,000), India (RM800), Uzbekistan (RM500), China (RM350), Vietnam (RM350), and Indonesia (RM300).
At a press conference here today, Azam said the syndicate’s agents would first promote “packages” to bring these foreign nationals into Malaysia through social media platforms.
These agents would then get in touch with immigration officers via WhatsApp to determine a suitable date for the foreign nationals to arrive at KLIA as a group.
After getting the green light from the officers, the agents will hand them the passport details and pictures of the foreigners who would be arriving.
The immigration officers will then give the number of the special counter that they would set up to process the group of foreigners arriving at KLIA. Once past the counter, the agents will transport the foreign nationals.
Azam said the main factor that allowed the syndicate to operate was the relaxed oversight of immigration officers on duty, making it easy for them to be approached by syndicate agents.
He said the immigration department’s workplace rotation of officers at KLIA’s Terminal 1 and 2 was unsystematic, making it easy for agents to deal with officers and even their supervisors.
“The bribes are given in cash and one to one,” he said, adding that the kickbacks were paid through several agents, most of whom have yet to be identified.
He suggested that immigration officers at Terminal 1 and 2, including supervisors, be barred from bringing their handphones with them while on duty.
“This will make it harder for them to be contacted by other parties,” he said.