GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested two enforcement agency officers and a Bangladeshi man on suspicion of arranging the illegal entry of foreigners through a special counter at the Penang International Airport.
Sources said the two enforcement officers, a man and a woman in their 40s, were detained between 12.30pm and 1.30pm today while they were at the state MACC office to give their statements.
"Their arrests follow the earlier detention of a Bangladeshi man at a hotel about 9pm last night.
"The enforcement officers are believed to have colluded with the Bangladeshi man, who acted as an agent, to facilitate the entry of an Indonesian national without undergoing the required checks," the source told the New Straits Times.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the Bangladeshi man and the male enforcement officer had requested RM4,500 from an Indonesian man who arrived by flight at PIA on Sept 22 in exchange for helping him to enter the country.
"The Indonesian man requested time to prepare the money before being directed to a special counter managed by the female officer to facilitate his entry without the necessary checks.
"Following this, Penang MACC arrested the Bangladeshi man yesterday after he received about RM2,000 from the Indonesian national," the source added.
Magistrate Syahirah Abdul Salim granted a seven-day remand order against the Bangladeshi man until Oct 24 following an application by the MACC at the magistrate's court here this morning.
A remand application for the two enforcement agency officers will be made at the same court tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Penang MACC director Datuk Mohd Fuad Bee Basrah confirmed the arrests of the three suspects.
He said the two enforcement officers are being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009, while the Bangladeshi man is being investigated under Section 16(b)(B) of the same.