KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested 16 individuals, including a medical practitioner with the title ‘Datuk Seri’, for allegedly bribing officials to register non-citizen births as Malaysian citizens.
The suspects are accused of using fraudulent supporting documents in the registration process.
According to Utusan Malaysia, MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (Operations) Datuk Seri Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya said the arrests were made under Op Outlander and Op Birth, with raids carried out at clinics and law firms in the Klang Valley and Johor.
In Op Outlander, the main suspect, a civil servant, is believed to have facilitated late birth registrations — applications submitted more than 60 days after birth.
“A medical practitioner with the title ‘Datuk Seri’, who owns several clinics and maternity centres, is suspected of issuing fake birth certification documents,” he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Op Birth targeted three main suspects believed to be agents who allegedly paid bribes of around RM18,000 to a civil servant to process birth registrations.
“These applications relied on falsified supporting documents, including forged hospital birth confirmation letters,” Ahmad Khusairi added.
Six members of the public who allegedly used these agents’ services were also detained as applicants who submitted the fraudulent registrations.
A lawyer suspected of acting as a middleman between the agents and applicants was also arrested.
“The 16 suspects, aged between 20 and 70, were detained between 11am and 8pm yesterday and taken to the MACC headquarters and Selangor MACC for questioning,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that they will be brought before the Shah Alam Magistrate’s Court tomorrow for remand applications.
Two suspects, including the Datuk Seri, were released on MACC bail due to health reasons after their statements were recorded.
“The raids were based on intelligence gathered over a year, in collaboration with the National Registration Department (JPN),” he added.
Ahmad Khusairi said the arrests reflect MACC’s commitment to tackling corruption, particularly in public services, to protect national security.
The case is being investigated under Sections 17(a) and 17(b) of the MACC Act 2009.
