An MACC source said the eight detainees included the CEO of an IT company in his 50s, who allegedly received bribes of between RM800 and RM1,500.

Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin ordered six of the detainees, including two women, to be remanded until Aug 5.

The others, a man and a woman, were released on bail after their statements were recorded.

The source also said the IT company was believed to have been appointed by the government to handle foreign worker applications, adding that it might have processed about 345,861 applications between May and July.

The source added that eight individuals were arrested last night after giving their statements at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.

MACC senior investigations director Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed the arrests, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 16(a) of the MACC Act. In July, the human resources and home ministries agreed to allow foreign workers from 15 source countries to work in Malaysia’s manufacturing, construction and services industries.

The decision was reached following a meeting between the two ministries to discuss the recruitment of foreign workers and the freeze on worker recruitment announced by the Indonesian government.

Home minister Hamzah Zainudin said certain ministries were appointed to manage the recruitment process of foreign workers in these industries, namely, the transport ministry for the recruitment of low-skilled workers in the land warehouse subsector, and the agriculture and food industries ministry for the bird’s nest industry.

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