The commission said its investigation was into the approval of 54 fishing licences to two companies, and involved officers in the fisheries department’s headquarters as well as its chapters in Johor, Kedah, Terengganu and Pahang.

It said some of the officers did not comply with the department’s licensing procedures and policies in the application and approval process for the licences of 54 fishing vessels belonging to the two firms.

“There were also elements of forgery and the use of false documents, which can be investigated under Section 471 of the Penal Code.

“The results of this investigation will be referred to the AGC with a proposal for a criminal investigation to be initiated on the suspects that have been identified,” it said in a statement.

The EAIC will also refer its findings to the fisheries department’s disciplinary authority, saying the officers involved deserved to face disciplinary action as they were “irresponsible, flouted orders and negligent in executing their duties”.

It urged the fisheries director-general to consider revoking the licences issued for the 54 vessels and for the department to draw up specific guidelines on applications to modify more than 20% of fishing vessels.

It also called for better file management systems at district offices, improvements to the online licensing system and a cap on the number of licences that can be issued to a company.