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THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has moved to freeze 36 bank accounts containing more than RM3.1 million following the arrest of 11 individuals suspected of involvement in a bribery scheme linked to the government’s migrant worker regularisation programme.
The arrests, involving 10 enforcement agency officers and a retired officer, were made under Op Bleach by MACC’s Intelligence Division.
The suspects are alleged to have received bribes to fast-track applications under the Rekalibrasi Tenaga Kerja (RTK) Programme, which enables undocumented migrants to be regularised as legal workers.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the freezing orders followed the detentions earlier this week. “MACC has applied to freeze a total of 36 bank accounts amounting to RM3,121,813.10,” he said on Saturday.
He added that investigators also seized four cars, five motorcycles, two gold bars weighing 0.3 grams each estimated at RM150 in value, four pieces of jewellery worth about RM7,000, and RM116,702 in cash.
Azam said the bribes were believed to have been paid to accelerate RTK processing, with an estimated RM600 collected for each migrant worker. “Those arrested are from grades KP19/KP1 up to KP38/KP7,” he said.
All seven individuals who had been remanded until Saturday have since been released on bail. “So far, there have been no new arrests and seven witnesses have been called to record their statements,” he added.
Earlier reports stated that the 11 suspects — seven men and four women aged between their 30s and 50s — were arrested at various locations around the Klang Valley on 12 November. They are believed to have accepted bribes in exchange for speeding up applications for undocumented migrants to obtain legal worker status under the RTK scheme.
Op Bleach is a follow-up to previous MACC operations, including Op Rentas and Op Dygo, which targeted syndicates involved in counter-setting activities. - November 15, 2025