Malaysia has fired 15 officers over the sabotage of computers used by immigration authorities after an investigation revealed the terminals were being taken offline to allow wanted individuals to slip through security.
Fourteen more immigration officers were suspended from work, Immigration Director-General Sakib Kusmi said in a press conference on Tuesday in the federal government centre of Putrajaya.
"We also transferred 65 officers from our main headquarters," he said, adding that 20 more personnel who might be involved are being closely monitored.
The immigration department two weeks ago began an investigation after an official noticed frequent crashes on computer connections to Interpol.
Without this connection, suspects on the Interpol watchlist could potentially slip through border security.
Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamad said there was a high possibility of official collusion in the almost daily breakdown of the computer system at the country's main airports.
Home Minister Zahid Hamidi said on Monday the investigation had set back efforts to upgrade the immigration computer system by at least six months.
