PUTRAJAYA: Another doctor has been identified by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission over a probe into a cartel accused of falsifying Social Security Organisation (Socso) disability claims.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said their investigations have so far revealed that 19 fraudulent claims have been made by this cartel.
"Four doctors working in government and private hospitals were identified and three of them were among the 32 arrested on Tuesday.
"This fourth doctor is expected to be arrested by our personnel," he told reporters at the MACC headquarters here today.
He said this case is not so much about how much we can recover but more about the public interest.
"We don't want government money to be siphoned away.
"We cooperated with Socso on this case. They gave us the information for us to begin gathering intelligence and managed to detect those involved," he said.
Earlier today, thirty-three people, including three senior doctors and a woman, were remanded over their alleged links to a cartel accused of falsifying Social Security Organisation disability claims.
Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi ordered the doctors to be remanded for two days, while the woman is to be held for one day, starting today.
The remaining suspects have been remanded for three days.
They are being investigated under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
Yesterday, the New Straits Times reported that three senior doctors in the state were among 32 people arrested in a major swoop by the MACC over Socso disability fraud.
Confirming the arrests, Azam said more arrests are expected as investigations into the case continue.
In July, Senator Dr Lingeshwaran R. Arunasalam urged the Human Resources Ministry to address allegations that doctors involved in Socso disability claims were linked to a cartel falsifying these claims.
Lingeshwaran told the Dewan Negara that the panel was suspended until further notice after Socso uncovered the syndicate at a hospital in Penang.