PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested two suspects alleged to have received RM100 million in bribes to approve visa applications for Bangladesh citizens entering Malaysia under the guise of tourism.

According to a source, the men, believed to be in their late 30s, were arrested at 6.30pm yesterday after they were asked to appear at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.

“One of the detained individuals is believed to be the managing director of a labour supply company,” the source said, adding that the other was an enforcement agency officer.

The investigation revealed that an enforcement agency officer at the Malaysian high commission in Dhaka was believed to have colluded with employment agencies in Bangladesh and Malaysia to deliberately abuse the foreign visa (VLN) system since 2021, allowing Bangladeshi nationals to work in Malaysia.

The suspect and his fellow officers allegedly received payments ranging from US$300 to US$500 for each VLN application approved since 2021, with the total amount collected being more than RM100 million, despite the government’s set visa fee of RM105 per application.

The officer is the third enforcement agency officer to be arrested to assist in Operation Taka, launched in April by MACC’s anti-money laundering prevention division in cooperation with the immigration department.

Shah Alam magistrate Mageshwary Muniandy granted a four-day remand order against both suspects, ending on July 31, after MACC filed an application today.

MACC chief Azam Baki confirmed the arrests and said the case is being investigated under Section 17a of the MACC Act 2009.  FMT