©The New Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Farrah Naz Karim
Management firms and employers face action for overcharging illegals
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti– Corruption Commission is keeping a close watch on the management companies appointed to register illegal workers under the 6P legalisation and amnesty programme to ensure there is no exploitation.
Those found charging illegals more than the permitted RM335—RM35 for registration and RM300 inmanagement fees — could find themselves facing charges for corruption and cheating.
The Home Ministry had appointed 335 companies for the task.
A senior MACC officer said a team sent out to look for discrepancies in the companies, especially overcharging, detected scores of themindiscriminately charging illegals higher fees tomaximise their profits.
Overcharging under the Malaysian Anti–Corruption Commission Act 2009 was considered corruption, he said.
He added that while many companies were found to be charging more than RM350 for the registration of each illegal, there were those who had been arbitrarily collecting other charges, including fees for health checks and levies, which they claimed were for the government. Some had allegedly charged the illegals up to RM3,500.
The officer said as far as the MACC was concerned, there had been no circular allowing these companies to act on behalf of the government that way, and under the law, they were considered to have committed the offence of cheating.
It is understood that in the later part of the 6P programme, only illegals who were registered would be matched to sectors which required their services, including the manufacturing and plantation industries.
This has not stopped the companies from collecting the levies.
The commission is also closing in on companies soliciting business by engaging agents to look for illegal worker s.
MACC officers have also discovered employers working hand in glove with the management companies to put pressure on their illegal workers to use the companies’ services although they could take their employees to the Immigration Department to be legalised for free.
“They use fear tactics on their own workers, saying that if they showed up at the Immigration offices, they would be imposed heavy fines and ar rested,” the officer said.
“The management companies and unscrupulous employers would then split the money they get from these unsuspecting illegals, who otherwise would only have to pay RM335 to be registered by these companies.” The MACC noted that most illegals were not aware of what was required of them and the kind of charges they were expected to pay.
This, the officer said, allowed many unscrupulous agents, companies and even employers to take advantage of their ignorance and force them to pay more. The MACC hoped that Immigration officers would engage the illegals and explain to them what the exercise was about.
He said it was the responsibility of the Immigration Department to ensure that the whole 6P programme ran smoothly and that the illegals were not bullied by unscrupulous companies and employers.
Those charging more than permitted are liable for a prison termof not more than 20 years and a maximum fine of five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said about 1.7 million illegal and legal workers had had their biometric data recorded so far.
Of the number, 877,884 were illegal immigrants, the majority of whom were Indonesians.
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti– Corruption Commission is keeping a close watch on the management companies appointed to register illegal workers under the 6P legalisation and amnesty programme to ensure there is no exploitation.
Those found charging illegals more than the permitted RM335—RM35 for registration and RM300 inmanagement fees — could find themselves facing charges for corruption and cheating.
The Home Ministry had appointed 335 companies for the task.
A senior MACC officer said a team sent out to look for discrepancies in the companies, especially overcharging, detected scores of themindiscriminately charging illegals higher fees tomaximise their profits.
Overcharging under the Malaysian Anti–Corruption Commission Act 2009 was considered corruption, he said.
He added that while many companies were found to be charging more than RM350 for the registration of each illegal, there were those who had been arbitrarily collecting other charges, including fees for health checks and levies, which they claimed were for the government. Some had allegedly charged the illegals up to RM3,500.
The officer said as far as the MACC was concerned, there had been no circular allowing these companies to act on behalf of the government that way, and under the law, they were considered to have committed the offence of cheating.
It is understood that in the later part of the 6P programme, only illegals who were registered would be matched to sectors which required their services, including the manufacturing and plantation industries.
This has not stopped the companies from collecting the levies.
The commission is also closing in on companies soliciting business by engaging agents to look for illegal worker s.
MACC officers have also discovered employers working hand in glove with the management companies to put pressure on their illegal workers to use the companies’ services although they could take their employees to the Immigration Department to be legalised for free.
“They use fear tactics on their own workers, saying that if they showed up at the Immigration offices, they would be imposed heavy fines and ar rested,” the officer said.
“The management companies and unscrupulous employers would then split the money they get from these unsuspecting illegals, who otherwise would only have to pay RM335 to be registered by these companies.” The MACC noted that most illegals were not aware of what was required of them and the kind of charges they were expected to pay.
This, the officer said, allowed many unscrupulous agents, companies and even employers to take advantage of their ignorance and force them to pay more. The MACC hoped that Immigration officers would engage the illegals and explain to them what the exercise was about.
He said it was the responsibility of the Immigration Department to ensure that the whole 6P programme ran smoothly and that the illegals were not bullied by unscrupulous companies and employers.
Those charging more than permitted are liable for a prison termof not more than 20 years and a maximum fine of five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said about 1.7 million illegal and legal workers had had their biometric data recorded so far.
Of the number, 877,884 were illegal immigrants, the majority of whom were Indonesians.