Ring’s wings clipped

Four Immigration men in ‘paspot terbang’ scam nabbed

JOHOR BARU: They sit inside toilets or hide in quiet corners during their break, secretly using Malaysian rubber stamps to help extend the stay of foreigners, especially women from China and Vietnam.

This practice, known as paspot terbang (flying passports), is done in complicity with a small group of rogue Immigration officers stationed mainly at major entry points around the country.

It is learnt that the officers were paid between RM500 and RM1,000 for each “passport”.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) got wind of such activities going on at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex here and has arrested four officers since last week.

The officers, in their 20s and 40s, have been remanded to assist in investigations.

MACC investigations division director Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the arrests but declined to comment on the investigations.

It is learnt that syndicates operating vice rings would collect the women’s passports and pass them to Immigration officers who would then use fake Singapore rubber stamps and their Malaysian rubber stamps to make it look like the foreigners have exited Malaysia to Singapore and have re-entered.

China and Vietnamese citizens are only allowed to stay for 30 days and they can exit and re-enter via Singapore.

Security sources said the passports could be extended without the foreigners ever leaving the country as all this was done using runners.

The MACC has since started compiling a list of officers who are living beyond their means. More arrests are expected.

Sources said under the Immigration Department standard operating procedures, officers on duty at the counters were not allowed to carry mobiles and the rubber stamps must be handed back at the end of their shift.

There are more than 1,500 Immigration personnel stationed at all the entry points in the state.

It is learnt that this is the second major arrest at the Johor CIQ last year when several Immigration officers were also nabbed for allowing dozens of foreign nationals especially those from the Middle East into the country.

So far, no foreigners have been arrested despite a nationwide alert.