00:02Investigators believe insiders within the Immigration Department, with knowledge of the Malaysia Immigration System, or MIEMS, were involved in a
00:10syndicate that hacked it to illegally approve Temporary Work Visit Passes, PLKS.
00:17This follows the detention of 12 individuals, including six immigration officers, two of them from the department's Information Technology Division.
00:26Immigration Director General Datuk Zakaria Shaban said the scheme could not have happened without insider involvement, noting the department had
00:33recently conducted a forensic review with Cybersecurity Malaysia to strengthen its systems.
00:39He said the system could not be breached from outside, but in this case, insiders with direct knowledge of the
00:45system were involved.
00:46He said the system could not penetrate from outside, but what happened in this case, he caused people in the
00:53middle and they knew it was the system.
00:57So, because of that, he can penetrate with him, he uses the dongle, with software, he uses the PC, so
01:08because of that, he can access it from outside.
01:24As a result, the Immigration Department will immediately cancel all 1,306 PLKS passes approved through the illegal scheme and
01:36is tracking down pass holders believed to be working across various sectors nationwide.
01:40He also stressed that the department maintains a zero-tolerance policy on misconduct and corruption and will continue working with
01:54the M.A.C.C. to ensure all those involved are brought to justice.
01:59Any implicated immigration officers would face internal disciplinary action, including under the Passports Act, in addition to M.A.C
02:07.C.'s investigation.
02:09Meanwhile, M.A.C.C. Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abdul Halim Aman said the anti-graft agency has recorded statements
02:17from four people,
02:18with more witnesses expected to be summoned as the investigation progresses.
02:22He, however, declined to reveal their details.
02:44The syndicate's activities were first detected in May.
02:47According to earlier reports, the operation, codenamed Ops Crack, began on July 28, with two company directors, three foreign nationals,
02:58four immigration officers, two immigration IT officers, and one police officer detained.
03:03All suspects, aged in their 30s and 40s, were held at the M.A.C.C. and Immigration Headquarters in
03:10Penang.
03:10Initial investigations found the syndicate exploited a 2011 PLKS quota without paying the required levy,
03:18causing losses estimated at 2.4 million ringgit to the government.
03:23It's understood syndicate members allegedly paid bribes of between 1,000 ringgit and 6,000 ringgit to immigration officers to
03:30help secure fraudulent PLKS approvals.
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