PUTRAJAYA: A syndicate believed to be engaging in corruption and money laundering involving a financial consulting firm and officers from several financial institutions have been crippled.
It is learnt that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had carried out mass raids at 24 locations including houses and offices within the Klang Valley on Jan 13 and arrested 12 individuals.
The suspects, including two directors of a financial consulting company, a director of a foundation, a manager and former sales manager of a bank were remanded over suspicion of corruption and money laundering activities that involved personal loans from several banking institutions.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the suspects were arrested in a special operation codenamed “Ops Sky” carried out by the commission’s money laundering prevention division, Bank Negara and several local financial institutions.
He said initial investigations showed that officers from several banks were believed to have received bribes from the consultant company as reward to help process and approve personal loans.
“The bank officers were believed to have identified customers among civil servants who have bad debts. They were then introduced to the company which will offer what is known as multiple loan scheme assistance,” he said.
He said the company was believed to have helped in preparing documents containing false information that were sent to several financial institutions to obtain loans.
Azam said that investigation shows that the consulting firm would give advance to the borrowers so that they can pay off their debts and when their loans were approved, they would pay back the advance amount while the remaining would be put in an investment scheme.
The MACC had frozen 70 company and individual accounts valued at RM16.2mil and confiscated nine vehicles including a Ferrari F8 Spider, Lexus RC300, Mercedes-Benz GLC43 and BMW.
“The MACC also confiscated cash of more than RM300,000 aside from Hong Kong currency worth 95,000, 17 luxury watches worth RM11.1mil, five branded handbags valued at more than RM430,000, two laptops and two tablets,” he said.
A five-day remand order until Jan 18 was issued by Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin against 10 male and two women suspects following an application by the MACC.
