3-day remand for Immigration officers nabbed over 'legalisation network'

The MACC has obtained a three-day remand order on seven officers from the Immigration Department, out of 11 that were arrested yesterday, over the Recalibration of the Workforce (RTK) programme, also known as the “legalisation syndicate”.

The suspects’ lawyer, Tania Scivetti, confirmed to Malaysiakini that Putrajaya magistrate Izra Zulaikha Rohanuddin had granted the remand order this morning.

“(The magistrate) ordered seven of the officers to be remanded for three days (starting Nov 13) until Nov 15, while two of them were released today.”

It is unclear what became of the other two arrested yesterday, although all 11 were brought to the Magistrate’s Court today for the remand application.

Other lawyers assisting the legal team include Wan Azwan Aiman, Hartrisha Kaur Sandhu and Aliff Lamra.

Earlier, New Straits Times reported that the group of arrested suspects consist of seven men and four women between 30 and 50 years old.

Key syndicate roles

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that MACC had nabbed 11 immigration officers, with two believed to have played key roles in the syndicate.

The RTK was a special regularisation scheme by the Immigration Department, allowing employers to hire undocumented foreign workers who had overstayed or lacked valid permits.

RTK 1.0 was introduced on Dec 28, 2020, as a temporary legalisation programme for undocumented migrants, while RTK 2.0 ran from Jan 27 to Dec 31, 2023.

According to media reports, in the first seven months of RTK 2.0 alone, 720,099 undocumented migrants registered under 51,753 employers.

The recalibration fee under RTK 2.0 was set at RM1,500 per worker, with levy rates ranging from RM640 to RM1,850 depending on the sector, along with a RM60 pass fee and RM125 processing fee.

However, Malaysiakini’s investigations found allegations that certain parties had siphoned off hundreds of millions through the programme.

Valuables seized

MACC sources said that all 11 were nabbed at different locations throughout the Klang Valley yesterday through Op Bleach conducted by the graft busters’ intelligence division.

The operation also saw more than RM116,000 cash, 14 units of telecommunications devices, jewellery, gold bars, as well as three cars and two motorcycles seized.

“All the suspects are believed to have accepted bribes in return for expediting the applications of foreign immigrants in the country as legal foreign workers through the RTK programme.

“This Op Bleach is a follow-up operation conducted by the MACC related to the Counter Setting syndicate through Op Rentas and Op Dygo, which were conducted recently,” they said.

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