In a Bernama report, deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said this is part of the six reform measures introduced by the immigration department to dismantle syndicates involved in bringing in foreigners through the “counter setting” modus operandi.

In a post on his official Facebook, he said the relevant officers had already been identified. Their transfer orders will be issued in stages to ensure daily operations at KLIA are not affected.

He said standard operating procedures, covering entrance security control, security stamp management and visitor inspection, would be reviewed and improved to eliminate opportunities for officers to manipulate or exploit the system.

“The department will also increase supervision and monitoring.

“This includes spot checks on group leaders and officers to ensure compliance. These will be carried out continuously by integrity officers and supervisors.”

Shamsul said closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) would be installed at strategic locations to enable close monitoring of daily transactions and to detect any irregularities.

He said cooperation will be increased with other enforcement agencies, such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), police and customs department.

On Sept 18, the MACC listed 11 main weaknesses involving the immigration department which it said provided opportunities for syndicates to bring in foreigners using the “counter setting” method.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki was reported to have said that a senior immigration officer, believed to be the mastermind behind the “counter setting” operations, was among 60 individuals arrested on Sept 5.

Two immigration officers were arrested the next day in Seremban. They are believed to have received bribes from syndicate agents, in addition to arranging for “special counters” to release foreigners, without going through proper checks at the airports.