Published on March 19th, 2024 | by Sounder Rajen

2 Lamborghinis And Another RM6M Luxury Cars Seized By MACC

This was part of a special operation MACC was conducting in the Klang Valley

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has seized eight luxury vehicles worth almost RM6 million owned by a person believed to be involved in a syndicate smuggling alcohol and cigarettes into the country as part of a special operation conducted around the Klang Valley area since last Monday.

An MACC source said the vehicles, comprising two Lamborghinis, a Lexus, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW, a Volvo and two Toyotas, were seized in a special operation carried out in the Klang Valley over the past week. It is interesting that only two brands comprised more than one car in the collection.

Moreover, the operation was a joint effort by MACC’s anti-money laundering division, the Inland Revenue Board and Bank Negara Malaysia. Still, while it is clear that Toyota vehicles are very reliable so it makes sense why the collection had 2 of those but why are Lamborghinis also so popular on the black market?

Lamborghini vehicles are also very popular among many black economy businesses so what gives? Well, as far as I can tell, there is no logical reason. Lamborghinis are simply engineered from the start to be the meanest and fastest cars on the road so the uncompromising nature makes these vehicles very desirable.

On top of that, the MACC source said, “These vehicles were seized from company owners as well as middlemen who allegedly paid bribes to officers from an enforcement agency.”

According to the source, the syndicate had been detected engaging in money laundering by channeling illicit funds through the account of a shell company, facilitated by money changers and licensed money lending companies. The key word here is licensed, thus making the businesses seem legal.

What’s more, the syndicate’s smuggling activities are believed to have resulted in tax revenue losses amounting to over RM400 million and involved bribes totalling more than RM8 million being paid out to several people, including public officials. The syndicate is suspected of using dummy accounts to pay the bribes.

MACC anti-money laundering division director Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed the seizure of the vehicles.

Obviously we all know that Malaysia is a country built on bribes, so this is not surprising, however, seeing this much success come out of bribes is truly mind-boggling and makes one wonder if they are in the wrong line of work. What do you guys think about this?