THE arrests of two Immigration Department officers serving as attaches in Bangladesh by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Monday was the result of strategic information sharing between the two agencies.

Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said the department had been investigating claims that immigration attaches based in Dhaka had been receiving bribes for the issuance of visas to Bangladeshis to enter Malaysia.

“The Immigration Department then ordered the two of them to return to Malaysia to assist in the investigation,” he said in a statement today.

“Information was channelled to MACC for action and the investigation led to the arrest of the two officers.”

He said the investigation was handed over to MACC and the department would provide full cooperation in a transparent and fair manner.

Ruslin said the Immigration Department will not compromise when its officers commit offences that tarnish its image and threaten the country’s security and sovereignty.

He said the cooperation with MACC will continue to ensure that the department is always transparent in dealing with elements of corruption and practices that lack integrity.

The media reported yesterday that two enforcement officers serving in Bangladesh were arrested on April 17 after turning up at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya to give their statements and were remanded for three days beginning April 18.

According to the source, the two were arrested after MACC detected a number of suspicious money transactions in their bank accounts and they were ordered to return to Malaysia to assist in investigations.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed the arrests and did not rule out the possibility of more arrests. – Bernama, April 21, 2023.