Socso Confirms Officer Arrested Over False Penjana Kerjaya Claims

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Socso says Ops Hire has prevented more than RM500 million in Penjana Kerjaya incentive funds from being siphoned by employers.PETALING JAYA: The Social Security Organisation (Socso) has confirmed the arrest of one of its officers by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Socso said the officer was suspected of accepting bribes for approving claims under the Penjana Kerjaya hiring incentive programme.
“Socso wants to stress that it will not interfere in the matter. (We) leave this to MACC to investigate, and we will fully cooperate in their investigation,” it said in a statement today.
Ads by KioskedYesterday, it was reported that MACC had arrested a civil servant believed to have accepted thousands of ringgit from the owner of a company to approve about RM 1.3 million worth of claims.
The suspect allegedly committed the act between 2021 and 2022 through a middleman.
The suspect, in his late 20s, was arrested at MACC’s headquarters in Putrajaya on Wednesday when he was called in to give a statement.
MACC senior investigations director Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed the arrest and said the civil servant was being investigated under Section 17A of the MACC Act.
On Tuesday, MACC said it had detained 47 company directors who allegedly submitted false claims through the Penjana Kerjaya programme. An MACC source said the false claims ranged from RM450,000 to RM2 million.
Socso CEO Azman Aziz had said the arrests were a continuation of the strategic collaboration between Socso and MACC through Ops Hire, which was first carried out in July last year to address embezzlement of government funds.
Ads by KioskedAzman said Ops Hire had saved more than RM500 million in Penjana Kerjaya incentive funds from misuse by employers. - FMT

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