GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Road Transport Department (RTD) office, which has just seen 51 of its officers detained over allegations of corruption, will get help from Kedah and Perak.
The two neighbouring states are sending a total of 15 officers to help out their colleagues in Penang.
The 51 officers arrested are among 100 personnel deployed in its three offices on the island and mainland Penang.
Penang JPJ director Mohamat Johari Mat Nor (pix) said six officers were expected to come from Perak on Friday with more likely to come in and take over the duties of the officers who have been remanded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). However, they will be in Penang only on a temporary basis.
Mohamat told journalists that his department would provide full cooperation to the MACC.
It is learnt that the JPJ headquarters in Putrajaya had directed its offices in the other states to provide the necessary assistance to Penang.
Last week the MACC, acting on a tip-off, swooped in on the enforcement division and arrested 24 officers and seven civilians. Another 27 officers were detained during a separate sweep last Tuesday.
The suspects were alleged to have been part of a vehicle protection racket that protected errant lorry operations by taking bribes.
Their modus operandi involved displaying special stickers on their vehicles as a sign to enforcement officers not to issue compounds.
The officers were alleged to have received monthly payments of RM10,000 to RM32,000 each.
Their role was to allow lorries with road offences and overloaded cargo to pass through, as well as to alert the operators of impending operations.
The detention of some 50 officers is unprecedented for just one public enforcement division and it is the most in JPJ history.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki said that some of those detained, have been released while six others were still placed under remand to assist investigations.
He did not rule out questioning more personnel, including the top RTD officers.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that five more enforcement officers had been remanded to assist in investigations.
The remand order for seven days, starting today, was issued by magistrate L. Umma Devi.
