A deeply entrenched cartel within Malaysia’s Immigration Department has been unmasked, where veteran officers systematically enlist fresh recruits into corrupt schemes at the nation’s border checkpoints. These operations, centered on the illicit practice known as “counter setting,” promise substantial financial incentives to participants, according to revelations from department insiders and anti-corruption probes.
The syndicate’s tactics trace back to 2017, when “counter setting” first surfaced as a detectable vulnerability within the department. New officers who resist the group’s directives often endure professional ostracism—boycotts and isolation that stifle their careers—effectively pressuring compliance, as detailed in reports from Berita Harian.
At its core, “counter setting” entails expediting select travelers through immigration scrutiny, bypassing essential verification protocols to facilitate unauthorized passage.
Immigration Director-General Zakaria Shaaban confirmed the department’s persistent monitoring of suspects to amass irrefutable evidence for legal action.
“We recognize that this malfeasance persists, with numerous officers still entangled despite rigorous disciplinary measures,” he stated candidly. “It stems from a well-organized cartel dynamic that actively grooms newcomers to perpetuate these profitable ventures. We have identified the key players.”
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) amplified the scandal on Monday, disclosing that a high-ranking immigration officer possessed assets totaling nearly RM1.5 million. This haul included over RM1 million scattered across Tabung Haji accounts registered in his name, as well as those of his wife and children, alongside more than RM400,000 in an Amanah Saham Bumiputera investment.
In a parallel raid in Selangor, MACC agents confiscated opulent goods from six suspects, among them five immigration personnel posted at entry points. The seizure encompassed 3.2 kilograms of jewelry valued at RM1.6 million and 75 gold bars appraised at approximately RM400,000—tangible symbols of graft-fueled extravagance.
Further afield in Melaka, a married duo of immigration officers, both in their 40s and currently under remand, amassed their fortune through a web of bribes tied to the illicit regularization of undocumented migrants as foreign laborers.
Beyond hoarding jewelry, they funneled proceeds into launching a goldsmith shop in Pahang, stocking it with RM1.4 million in gold sourced from corrupt dealings since 2020. To mask their involvement, the pair enlisted the female officer’s sibling and their own child as nominal operators of the enterprise, using RM600,000 in dirty money to establish the facade.
Zakaria emphasized the department’s proactive stance, routinely funneling public complaints about border corruption to MACC and law enforcement for thorough scrutiny. He highlighted MACC’s pivotal role in asset-tracing, which fortifies corruption linkages and bolsters prosecutorial firepower. “If we in the Immigration Department act unilaterally, it amounts to mere transfers, closing the file and breeding false security,” he explained. “But when MACC or the police intervene, arrests and trials follow, grounded in solid proof. Many more will soon confront consequences—I won’t specify numbers, but they remain firmly in our sights. Some have thrived in this for years; others are mere novices.”
Zakaria did not shy away from the allure sustaining the cartel: the lavish existences corrupt officers cultivate, from high-end baubles to premium automobiles. Yet, he underscored a formidable hurdle in enforcement—their cunning veils over ill-gotten gains. “They deploy advanced ruses, like titling luxury holdings in proxies’ names to dodge scrutiny,” he noted. “This poses our steepest barrier to effective internal discipline. Without direct ownership ties, pinning misconduct becomes an uphill battle.”
