Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin confirmed that inspector-general of police Mohamad Fuzi Harun is heading a team of senior officers on a study tour to Istanbul to learn about combatting online gambling.

He said the trip was sponsored by Totalisator Board Malaysia, which is parked under the Finance Ministry.

The Totalisator Board, which is a statutory body, was set up under the Racing (Totalisator Board) Act 1961 to control and coordinate all betting on horse races in the country.

This was not the first time working trips for senior police officers' were sponsored, according to him. 

“I approved the trip. I don't want to deny. This is something I felt the police needed,” he told a press conference in Semenyih today.

"For me, the online gambling is a big issue so maybe they want to learn from what is being done by another country. That's their real purpose," he said. 

Istanbul, Turkey

The minister said he gave the approval after the police applied for it but was not certain of how many officers were part of the entourage or the arrangements of the trip.

"The principle is that the application came from the inspector-general of police, and I then approved it," he said. 

Muhyiddin was asked to comment on a Feb 10 Sarawak Report article regarding the trip.

According to the article, about 16 senior officers are participating on the trip and a total of RM312,441 could have been spent on business class flights and five-star accommodation.

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