PUTRAJAYA: Eight luxury cars valued at about RM6mil has been seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in their probe into a syndicate believed to have smuggled tobacco, cigarettes and liquor into the country.
It is learnt that the cars belong to several individuals who own companies involved or acted as middlemen who bribed officers of an enforcement agency.
Sources said that there were two Lamborghini supercars among the eight confiscated during a special operation jointly carried out by the MACC, the Inland Revenue Board and Bank Negara.
“Investigations carried out so far found that the syndicate is also involved in money laundering,” said a source.
In the past week, 11 individuals including five civil servants have been arrested in connection with the investigation.
Sources said smuggling carried out by this syndicate had caused an estimated RM400mil leakage in tax revenue.
Initial investigations also showed that RM8mil had been paid in bribes to several individuals including civil servants.
It is believed that the syndicate has been in operation since 2018.
MACC’s anti-money laundering division director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed the seizures.
Source Agencies
