KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested an agent at a vehicle inspection centre for allegedly accepting bribes to secure queue numbers for expedited inspections without following proper procedures.

A source said the Magistrate’s Court in Putrajaya issued a five-day remand order until March 25 against the suspect, a man in his 60s, after the MACC applied for the order today.

“The suspect is believed to have received around RM40,000 in bribes from vehicle owners seeking priority queue numbers for inspections at a vehicle inspection centre.

“The arrest was made following an operation conducted by the MACC in collaboration with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) Putrajaya and the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centre (PUSPAKOM), which involved investigations into several individuals suspected of being part of the syndicate,” the source said.

According to the source, information from JPJ’s enforcement division revealed that several individuals had misused the PUSPAKOM booking system by making bulk reservations using random vehicle numbers.

These individuals would then offer the pre-booked slots to customers for a few hundred ringgit per slot before rescheduling them to allow new bookings in the system.

“This modus operandi has made it difficult for regular customers to secure inspection appointments, as all available slots have been booked by these agents,” the source added.

Meanwhile, Putrajaya MACC director Azizul Ahmad Sarkawi confirmed the arrest and said the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(A) of the MACC Act 2009.

He said authorities are tracking down other agents involved in similar activities and that further arrests may follow. — Bernama