Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he will be submitting the officer’s name to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to allow the agency to probe further.
“We have identified a name and we will submit it to (MACC chief) Azam Baki to assist in MACC investigations.
“The individual who was asked to give the bribe had contacted us to reveal the (officer’s name),” he said at a press conference.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reportedly said several staff members in the JPN and immigration department were being probed for alleged corruption and abuse of power.
Saifuddin urged members of the public to lodge reports with the MACC if any government officers asked them for bribes, acknowledging that this might have been a long-established practice.
He reiterated that his ministry was committed to curbing corruption and misconduct, including allegations of corruption among immigration officers at KLIA.
“The Cabinet takes the incident at KLIA seriously. The Cabinet also acknowledges that the cooperation, commitment and discipline of immigration officers is at a good level.
“My ministry is ready to fully cooperate with MACC in its probe.”
Last Friday, tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing admitted to being at the centre of a commotion with immigration officers at KLIA, where he attempted to intervene in a case where a Chinese national was allegedly prohibited entry into Malaysia.
Tiong said his visit to the airport had exposed a “culture of corruption by a few officials and the chronic abuse of power”.
On Monday, a source from MACC said the anti-graft agency had recorded the statements of a minister and two Chinese nationals over the incident.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said he would be joining a meeting today over a petition by a group of 125 inmates at a prison in the northern region of West Malaysia alleging abuse by wardens.
“We’re just going to discuss the matter,” he said.
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