“I received a call from a staff member of the consulate general’s office who related what allegedly happened,” Mr Tiong reportedly said.
“I contacted the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and together with its officers, we went over to KLIA at 3pm to investigate. I met and spoke to both the visitors and immigration officers on duty.”
Mr Tiong reportedly also said the personal assistant was later allowed to enter the country after he had intervened, adding that “Thursday’s incident was the fifth time I had gone to intervene on such matters”.
PROBE INTO ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION
On Saturday, the MACC said it will investigate allegations of corruption by immigration officers when handling foreign tourists at the country’s entry points.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the commission was gathering information from the parties involved, including a well-known dignitary and JIM, to facilitate the investigation.
A local news portal on Thursday reported that a commotion occurred at KLIA, when a Malaysian minister allegedly attempted to “rescue” a female Chinese national who was denied entry into the country.
The minister, purportedly Mr Tiong, was said to have barged into the arrival hall without applying for a security pass, with the incident going viral on social media.
Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said on Friday his department would also investigate the incident.
Mr Tiong was quoted by The Star as saying that the media reports which said he did not have a security pass to enter the arrival zone of KLIA were “untrue” and he had a pass that was valid until next year.
