Visa Bribe Arrests

“ACA detains top immigration officer“ “Two Datuks also held in major swoop“

Putrajaya: A top officer of the Immigration Department has been arrested for allegedly accepting bribes to issue visas to foreign workers.” - NST 12 July 2008

Syabas ACA

I congratulate ACA for their courage and determination to end the corruption and abusive behaviour of those in power at the Immigration Department. This corrupt practices has been going on for more than ten years and the issuance of licences two years ago to more than 200 foreign worker suppliers, has worsened the level of corruption.

The new policy on foreign workers recruitment opened the doors wide to promote widespread corruption. As the ACA Chief rightly stated the rot goes all the way to the top not only threatening national security but also threatening job opportunities and decent livelihood for Malaysians.

Whilst the officers and their collecting agents pocketed millions of Ringgits as bribes, the Government was saddled with huge expenses to feed tens of thousands of so called illegal workers.

BAN Labour outsourcing system MTUC has repeatedly called upon the Government to ban the foreign workers outsourcing system, which has subjected workers brought into the country to extreme hardship.

MTUC has received hundreds of complaints from foreign workers on cheating, non payment of wages, poor working conditions and host of other issues. Labour suppliers issue ‘permits’ and collect RM8000 to RM10,000 which was later said to be forged documents. The poor foreign worker end up in detention camps despite paying out huge sums of money.

Therefore MTUC urge the Government to immediately withdraw the licences issued to the more than 200 foreign workers outsourcing companies – mostly just RM2.00 companies. This will be the most essential step to help ACA to end the scourge.

14 July 2008