‘ALL 46 RTD OFFICERS RECEIVED MONEY’
MACC sources say money trail shows payments deposited into their accounts
ALL 46 Penang Road Transport Department (RTD) enforcement officers detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the course of a week from last Tuesday to assist in a probe into a lorry driver protection racket have received money.
Sources told the New Straits
Times that investigators had tracked their money trail.
“All the enforcement officers had received money through their accounts. There is a money trail.”
The 46 were detained last week and on Monday, MACC summoned another 21 RTD enforcement officers to have their statements recorded. Nineteen turned
up at 9am.
A source said two officers failed to turn up as one had met with an accident and was injured, while the other had been detained in Indonesia over drugs.
The 19 RTD officers had been detained, the source added.
“Some of them will be remanded tomorrow (today) for investigation, while the others will be released after having their statements taken.”
The NST learnt that one of the RTD officers to be remanded had been deemed “hardcore” as he had refused to cooperate with the investigators.
The source said of the 19 RTD enforcement officers, two were former Land Public Transport Commission officers, who had since been absorbed into Perlis RTD in the Land Public Transport Agency division.
“Another has quit to join Perak Transit.”
On Saturday, 22 RTD enforcement officers were arrested, while 24 were detained last Tuesday.
Seventy-five enforcement officers, bearing ranks between grade 19 and 32, were believed to have received monthly payments of between RM10,000 and RM32,000 as inducement for not taking action against errant lorry drivers and for leaking information about RTD operations.
The lorries were given special stickers prepared by tontos, allowing them to be exempted from enforcement actions.
Out of 457 RTD personnel in Penang, 139 are enforcement officers.
There are about 8,000 RTD personnel nationwide.