A total of 29 officers and staff from the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) were arrested between January and September, over suspicion of corruption and power abuse, including counter-setting activities, said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Following this, Saifuddin said, the government had implemented some technological developments, including automation and smart screening methods to reduce human intervention, as part of its mitigation action in curbing this syndicate.

“Among the technological developments that have been and are being implemented are the Advanced Passenger Screening System and the Risk Assessment Engine,” he said in a written parliamentary reply to questions posed by Kubang Pasu MP KU Abd Rahman Ku Ismail and Labis MP Pang Hok Liong.

Saifuddin added that the government will expand the use of the auto gate machine, as well as introduce Foreign Digital Identity to create a single digital identity for each foreign visitor, which will be integrated with a centralised biometric system, making it difficult to forge or manipulate.

He further added that MCBA’s officers are required to wear body-cameras while on duty, and that the counters are being monitored with smart CCTV equipped with artificial intelligence-based video analysis.

Malaysiakini has reported extensively on KLIA’s counter-setting syndicates, which allow the unlawful clearance of individuals through immigration counters without proper procedures, particularly undocumented migrants in Malaysia.

Over 39 officers from the Immigration Department, as well as 17 agents and 10 members of the public, had been arrested in the counter-setting case, with RM15.78 million seized.

However, at present, only 10 individuals have been charged.

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