00:00Legal loopholes in the Immigration Act 1959 and 1963 have allowed rogue officers to participate
00:07in a counter-setting cartel, says lawyer T Harpao Singh.
00:11Counter-setting refers to the corrupt practice of allowing travellers to bypass standard
00:16immigration checks at the country's entry points.
00:19Harpao said the Act does not list immigration officers' duties, such as verifying passports
00:24and visas or checking if travellers are blacklisted, and failure to comply with standard
00:29operating procedures only results in internal disciplinary action.
00:34Part 4 of the Act outlines officers' powers, including the power to seize, detain, and
00:39forfeit vessels, vehicles, or aircraft, but not their specific duties, with FMT confirming
00:45that the Act lacks explicit mention of those responsibilities.
00:49Harpao called for the Act to be amended and airport systems upgraded to prevent officers
00:54from bypassing procedures and engaging in counter-setting.
00:58He dismissed immigration director-general Zakaria Shakban's claim that the department can't
01:03take further action, saying counter-setting may fall under anti-trafficking laws.
01:08Separately, an immigration officer-turned-lawyer who requested anonymity also called on the
01:14government to draw up a bold civil service policy, mandating that officers convicted of
01:19criminal offences be mandatorily discharged from service, and for an independent integrity
01:24tribunal under parliament.
01:26Pan Yujo, FMT.
01:27Pan Yujo, FMT.
