PUTRAJAYA: Immigration officers, including supervisors stationed at the counters of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2, should not have access to their mobile phones while on duty, says Tan Sri Azam Baki.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner said it had proposed this to the Immigration Department following the crackdown on counter setting activities, which saw 49 Immigration officers nabbed.“Blocking access to their mobile phones can prevent them from being contacted by outside parties.

They also need other communication methods while on duty,” he told reporters at the MACC headquarters here yesterday.

Currently, the work schedule for officers manning the counters was set when they were already in the counter zones, he noted.

“Maybe other parties can decide on the work schedule beforehand,” he added.

Azam said the commission had identified 11 key problems and weaknesses involving the Immigration Department, which has led to syndicates being able to bring in foreigners via the counter setting method.

“One of the main problems is a lack of internal control when they (the officers) are on duty, enabling syndicate agents to approach them easily.

“Another problem is non-systematic work rotation for Immigration officers stationed at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2.

“That too gives the agents easy access to the officers manning the counters as the agents would know who is stationed at which counter beforehand,” he said.

Azam said another weakness identified was the lack of supervision, which caused loopholes in operating procedures.

“The checking system on entry for foreigners is also easily manipulated and hard to review.

“There were other weaknesses discovered, including officers stationed for too long at the same location and Immigration officers who gave and received bribes from each other,” he said.

The MACC, Azam added, also discovered that there was neither monitoring nor an extra layer of filtering documents of foreigners and their accommodation while in Malaysia.

“The large amount offered as bribes is a big problem as well,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/19/azam-ban-private-phones-at-work