Klia Incident No Bribery Just Misunderstanding Says Macc

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The MACC has not found any elements of bribery in the recent commotion at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) involving a minister and two China nationals.
A source told Utusan Malaysia that initial investigations found that no amount was paid by any individual barred by the Immigration Department from entering the country.
According to the source, the commotion stemmed from a misunderstanding between the two tourists and an agent they contacted when they were slapped with a Not-To-Land (NTL) notice by the Immigration Department.
“The stranded tourists contacted the agent via the WeChat app, and through the conversation, the agent stated the amount needed to buy their ticket home and the agent’s fees.
“Due to communication problems between the two parties (the Chinese tourists and the agent), arose a misunderstanding that there was bribery involved in the incident,” the source told the daily yesterday.
Regardless, the probe into the incident is still ongoing, the source added.
The issue arose after Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing claimed to have intervened to “rescue” a Chinese tourist detained by the Immigration Department last Thursday (June 29).
The intervention also allegedly uncovered corruption among airport officials.
In the wake of the incident, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the cabinet directed the Transport Ministry to review the process of managing travellers barred from entering by the Immigration Department.
The police have recorded more than 20 statements, while the MACC has spoken to at least 14 people, including Tiong, regarding the incident.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki informed that the two China nationals boarded a flight back home on Wednesday (July 5). - Mkini

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