MACC DRAGNET HAULS IN ANOTHER 24
Anti-corruption agency to quiz third batch of Penang RTD enforcement staff
ANOTHER 24 Penang Road Transport Department (RTD) enforcement officers will be called to the state Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here in connection with a lorry driver protection racket.
This will be the third batch of state RTD enforcement officers to be called, with two batches of 24 and 22 officers detained last Tuesday and Saturday, respectively.
A source from MACC said the third batch of state RTD enforcement officers would be called within two days.
“We hope to complete our investigation as soon as possible.
“We have recorded statements from 46 of the 75 state RTD enforcement officers, believed to be involved in the protection racket,” the source said.
It said the commission had yet to decide on calling state RTD director Mohamat Johari Mat Nor to have his statement taken.
“We are having a meeting today (yesterday) to discuss whether to call the state RTD director and others,” the source said.
On whether more people or a fourth batch of RTD officers would be hauled up, the source said there were no such plans.
“If we call a fourth batch, there would not be any state RTD enforcement officers working.”
Last Tuesday, MACC arrested 30 people, including 24 RTD enforcement officers, in an operation from 10am to 10pm.
The following day, the magistrate’s court granted MACC’s application for a seven-day remand, which ends today, for all 30 of them.
Twenty three of the 24 state RTD enforcement officers who were remanded by MACC on Wednesday, were released on bail last Friday.
One of them is still being detained for investigation.
On Saturday, 22 RTD enforcement officers voluntarily came to the state MACC headquarters here to have their statements recorded.
Five of them were remanded for seven days on Sunday, while the others were released on bail.
MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki had said Penang RTD senior officers suspected to be involved in the case would be summoned once the statements of the detained officers were recorded.
It was reported that Penang RTD enforcement officers, between grade 19 and 32, were suspected of receiving monthly payments of between RM10,000 and RM32,000 as inducement for not taking action against the lorry drivers involved, and for leaking information on RTD operations.
The lorries concerned were supplied with special stickers prepared by tontos, so that they could be identified and exempted from enforcement actions.
It was reported that RTD had deployed more officers to Penang to boost manpower following the arrests.
There are 457 RTD personnel in Penang and 139 of them are enforcement officers.
There are 8,000 RTD officers nationwide.