The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has nabbed six members of a syndicate suspected to be involved in a Langkawi luxury car duty evasion scheme that cost the government RM33 million.
The six are expected to be charged in court from today with more than 21 charges under Section 471 of the Penal Code for forgery of a document with intention of cheating, senior director of the MACC’s special operations Division Datuk Azmi Kamaruzaman told Utusan Malaysia. Section 468 of the same law provides for a maximum sentence of up to seven years in jail and a fine for those convicted.
While the six are reported to be managers and runners of a car warehouse in Langkawi stores luxury cars, the owners of the Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley, McLaren and Rolls Royce vehicles are under investigation too.
“The MACC is also investigating the vehicle owners under Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA) for possessing and disposing of proceeds from these serious criminal activities,” Azmi said.
According to Utusan, seven people were initially arrested in July 2023 in ‘Op Eagle’ after the Auditor-General’s 2022 report disclosed a loss of RM72 million in duty collection for over 100 luxury vehicles from the Langkawi customs department between 2012 and 2021.
MACC then uncovered a syndicate said to be conspiring with luxury car owners to gain exemptions and duty deductions despite being ineligible, and had supposedly submitted forged statutory declarations of vehicle ownership to customs. The first phase of Op Eagle saw the commission confiscated nine luxury cars worth around RM12 million from the northern part of the country, Johor and Sabah.
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I don’t have much expectations from this.
Is always a challenge for law enforcers to go after rich people. Usually no outcome.
Kedah can’t even take care
The movement from Island
Small fish when our ministers & cabinet are riding on Mercs & Alphards. Please nab them instead!
Chill brother. Let money do the talking.
Kedah makin terok sejak PAS PN merintoh kedah
kastam & lhdn bawah kerajaan negeri ke? itu pun kalu cerdik
Is the customs personnel also involved? Makan rasuah? Kasi buang kerja
Ini loophole kasi buang la…for how long??
This was the exact reason Langkawi was given tax free status, no?