The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) proposed the creation of a special task force to monitor enforcement and tax collection at Malaysia's strategic ports [1, 2, 3].
The proposal was discussed during a courtesy visit on July 15 by Customs director-general Datuk Amran Ahmad to MACC headquarters in Putrajaya [1, 2, 3]. The one-hour meeting involved bilateral talks focusing on JKDM's roles and mechanisms to curb leakages in container management across ports nationwide [1, 3].
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman said the agencies exchanged views on challenges in customs inspection procedures, bureaucratic hurdles, and other domestic issues faced by Customs. He remarked, "Both agencies also shared and exchanged views on challenges in carrying out their respective duties, particularly in customs inspection procedures and bureaucratic challenges, including various domestic issues" [1].
During the meeting, JKDM outlined syndicates' tactics to evade tax payments, including smuggling and falsifying documents under different approval processes [1, 2, 3]. They also highlighted cases involving false cash declarations where the declared amount was significantly lower than the actual cash brought into the country [1, 2, 3].
Datuk Amran welcomed MACC's involvement, saying, "JKDM welcomes MACC’s involvement in cultivating a culture of integrity through anti-corruption talks to our personnel" [1]. Present at the meeting were MACC Investigation Division senior director Datuk Mohd Hafaz Nazar and JKDM Integrity branch head Azian Umar [1, 2, 3].
The Malay Mail reported on July 16 about the meeting and the plan to establish the joint task force for greater supervision of port enforcement and tax collection [3].
