The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will seek the assistance of Interpol to track down 10 key witnesses to assist in the investigation into the alleged protection money racket for illegal gambling syndicates in Melaka.
Its chief commissioner, Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad said the MACC was in the midst of tracking down all the individuals as they were believed to have fled the country.
“We are still working on pursuing these key witnesses as they had escaped overseas following the massive swoop on illegal gambling syndicates in Melaka.”
“Prior to this, we had also come out with press statements to trace them in order to complete the investigations,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
It was reported that two district police chiefs in Melaka with the ranks of assistant commissioner of police and deputy superintendents were among individuals detained by the MACC for allegedly protecting illegal gambling dens and massage parlours in the state.
The commission also arrested two civilians who allegedly acted as intermediaries who collected protection money from the outlets’ operators.
On a separate matter, the MACC hopes to register at least 100,000 Malaysians as its “eyes and ears” to fight the menace.
“We do not only want people to reject corruption. We also want them to spread the message that we despise it,” he said.