THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained four additional bank officers on Friday (Jan 17) in connection with a loan syndicate targeting civil servant victims. This came after 12 officers were detained under the OPS Sky.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki stated that the four officers are the latest individuals to be apprehended.
“Previously, 12 individuals were remanded for five days; however, seven of them will be released today. We will apply to extend the remand for the remaining five individuals today to assist with investigations,” he said.
A total of RM700mil in loans was approved for civil servants, and the operations are believed to involve elements of corruption and money laundering.
Last week, the MACC uncovered a corruption and money laundering syndicate involving financial consultancy firms and bank officers.
Twelve individuals including firm directors and banking personnel were arrested during raids at 24 Klang Valley locations under Ops Sky. The suspects, aged 20 to 40, were remanded for five days to aid investigations under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009.
The operation was conducted in collaboration with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and local financial institutions.
After the arrests, the MACC said it planned to arrest more bank officers involved in the syndicate that helped civil servants with bad debts secure personal loans in exchange for 1% of the loan value.
The MACC had then frozen 70 accounts worth RM16.2mil, seized luxury assets including vehicles, watches, handbags and confiscated over RM300,000 in cash. Investigations involved collaboration with BNM and local banks. — Jan 18, 2024
Main photo credit: Malay Mail
