07/02/2026

SATURDAY | FEB 7, 2026

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KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department detained 152 foreign nationals for various immigration offences during enforcement operations at food outlets in a shopping mall in Cheras on Thursday. The arrests were made during Ops Selera and Ops Sapu, which targeted premises suspected of employing foreign workers without valid documents. Deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said 890 individuals were checked during the operation, which began at 8pm, involving 458 foreigners and 432 Malaysians. He said the detainees, comprising 82 men and 70 women aged between 21 and 42 from Myanmar, China, Indonesia and Bangladesh, were held for offences such as not having valid travel documents, breaching pass conditions, overstaying and holding unrecognised cards under the Immigration Act 1959/63. “After receiving public complaints about the high number of foreign workers at food outlets in the mall, the Immigration Department carried out a week of intelligence work before making the raid,” he told reporters after the operation. On a separate matter, he said about 155,000 foreign nationals have registered under the Migrant Repatriation Programme 2.0, with 138,000 having voluntarily returned to their home countries. He said Bangladeshi nationals recorded the highest participation, followed by Indonesians, and registrations are expected to rise as the deadline approaches. – Bernama Immigration Dept crackdown on foreign workers Duo held over alleged bid to embezzle RM1.3m ALOR SETAR: The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) branch in Kedah has remanded an independent preacher for the second time, as well as the head of the finance and accounting department of an educational and dakwah institution on suspicion of conspiring to misappropriate funds amounting to about RM1.3 million. A three-day remand order against the two suspects, valid until tomorrow, was issued by Magistrate Nur Amalina Abd Rahman following an application by MACC at the Magistrate’s Court here yesterday. According to a source, the suspects, a man and a woman in their 30s, were re-arrested at about 6pm on Thursday at the Sungai Petani MACC office for investigation into another case. The source added that both suspects had earlier been remanded for one day on Thursday after the application was made at the Sungai Petani Magistrate’s Court, and released at 5pm on the same day. “Investigations also found that both suspects had approved payment for a house purchase worth about RM500,000,” the source said. – Bernama

HRD Corp suspends three top officials

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: The Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) has suspended three members of its top management following findings and recommendations cited in reports by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), auditor-general and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). In a statement issued yesterday, HRD Corp said the action relates to issues involving the management of “unutilised levy”, the acquisition of Menara Ikhlas, equity investment management and a New Core System (NCS) procurement project valued at RM14 million. It added that the NCS project has been delayed for more than four years following three unsuccessful User Acceptance Tests. The system had previously been introduced as part of HRD Corp’s digital transformation efforts to modernise its core systems supporting grant processing, levy management and employer services. “For this purpose, HRD Corp will implement an internal investigation process that is transparent and conducted with integrity, with a clear mandate, scope and terms of reference. “This will include the review of documents, financial records, approvals, meeting minutes and relevant audit trails, as well as the taking of statements and verification of facts from relevant officers, subject to the principles of natural justice and the confidentiality requirements of the investigation.” The move comes within weeks of a leadership transition at the agency. On Jan 23, Datuk Mohamed Shamir Abdul Aziz was appointed chief executive with immediate effect, while his predecessor Dr Syed Alwi Mohamed Sultan only served in the role for about six months after his appointment in July 2025. HRD Corp had earlier expressed appreciation to Syed Alwi for his service but did not provide details on his departure. HRD Corp administers employer levy contributions under the Human Resources Development Fund, which are channelled towards training, retraining and skills upgrading for employees, apprentices and trainees under the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad Act 2001. The fund is financed through mandatory employer levy contributions and is a key mechanism supporting national workforce training and reskilling initiatives. However, HRD Corp has been PUTRAJAYA: government succeeded in its appeal to reinstate the words “offensive” and “annoy” under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 (Act 588), after the Federal Court ruled that the terms are constitutional. Section 233 criminalises the use of network facilities or services to transmit any communication that is obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character, with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person. A five-member Federal Court The

presented findings of its probe into HRD Corp, examining matters related to the management of levy collections and investment activities, although no full report has been made public. The suspensions mark the most direct internal administrative action to date following the audit findings, parliamentary scrutiny and enforcement examination. HRD Corp did not disclose the identities of the suspended officers or the expected timeline for the internal investigation.

A day later, the Human Resources Ministry submitted information to MACC following issues raised in the Auditor-General’s Report Series 2/2024 and the PAC review. The 2024 report had flagged the suspicious disbursement of training grants amounting to RM51.69 million, with more than 200 participants recorded under identical names or identification numbers, and noted outstanding levy collections totalling RM205.42 million as of Dec 31, 2023. On May 11, 2025, MACC

under formal scrutiny since 2024. On July 4, 2024, PAC tabled a report in Parliament highlighting governance concerns involving real estate transactions and high-risk investment activities undertaken by HRD Corp. o Move follows reports by MACC, PAC and auditor-general

Rohaizad (centre) and Customs officers displaying seized items during a press conference. – BERNAMAPIC RM9.9m cigarette smuggling attempt foiled

BUTTERWORTH: Penang branch of the Customs Department thwarted an attempt to smuggle cigarettes worth RM9.9 million into the country after detaining a container at Port Klang in Selangor on Dec 24, 2025. Its director Datuk Rohaizad Ali said the container from Vietnam was seized by an Enforcement Division team at 10.40am, and the results of an inspection found 930 boxes bench comprising Chief Justice Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and judges Tan Sri Nallini Pathmanathan, Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, Datuk Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, partly allowed the government’s appeal to overturn the Court of Appeal’s earlier ruling, which had declared the two words unconstitutional. Delivering the court’s unanimous decision yesterday, Nallini said the purpose of Section 233(1)(a) of the Act is to regulate the improper use of network facilities and services to The

declarations by hiding the cigarettes in boxes supposedly containing furniture, and it is believed that all the cigarettes involved were for the local market. Rohaizad said the importation of cigarettes is permitted subject to an import permit in accordance with the requirements under Part II, Schedule III of the Customs (Prohibition of Imports) Order 2023. – Bernama Federal Constitution on the right to freedom of speech and expression, and could not form the basis of a charge under Section 233(1)(a) of Act 588. Last year, the Court of Appeal struck down the words “offensive” and “annoy” in Section 233 after allowing Quah’s appeal against the High Court’s 2023 decision, which had dismissed her constitutional challenge. In July 2021, Quah, 31, was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for allegedly posting “offensive” content on Facebook. – Bernama

labelled as furniture. “From this number, 908 boxes were found to contain 9.08 million (sticks of) cigarettes suspected to be prohibited goods, worth RM9.9 million, including Customs duty, while the remaining 22 boxes contained furniture,” he said at a press conference at the Customs complex here yesterday. He added that the syndicate’s modus operandi was to make false ensure a safe online environment. She said the provision serves to protect individuals and communities from harm arising from such misuse, adding that it targets communications that fall outside the scope of the constitutionally protected right to freedom of speech and expression. However, she also said in the case involving activist Heidy Quah, the court is of the view that the prosecution should not have been initiated, as the content of her Facebook post fell within the protection of Article 10(1)(a) of the

Govt succeeds in appeal over ‘unconstitutional’ words