Betul Ke Ni? Kalau Betul Memang Gila Babi!

Kalau benar dakwaan ini memang amat memalukan
Melampau tahap gila babi!
Banduan tu bersalah, tetap bersalah
Takkanlah pegawai penjara pun tumpang buat jenayah?

Tapi takkan tadak siapa yang sedar dan bertanggung jawab untuk menyiasat
Paling tidak ada khabar angin
Atau mereka saling tutup menutup?

Sang pendakwa pula memang takut nak lapor sebab akibatnya akan ditangung banduan

RM200 for a bar of soap

Alfian ZM Tahir

 | February 4, 2014

Corruption reigns in Malaysian prisons, alleges an Iranian social worker.

PETALING JAYA: A bar of bath soap costs RM200, a pack of cigarettes fetches RM400 and tinned food sells for RM500 a can.

No, we’re not talking about rare items or a charity auction. Neither are we painting a scenario of what the future holds if our policy makers don’t do something soon about the inflation rate.

These, according to a social worker, are the kinds of prices that prison inmates pay for merchandise that their guards either supply directly or allow someone else to deliver.

“There are many cases of bribery and corruption in the prisons,” said the social worker, an Iranian woman who frequently visits her compatriots in Malaysian jails.

She told FMT that guards made money not only be selling merchandise to the inmates but also by imposing a charge on visitors carrying food into the visiting hall.

“Whether you like it or not, you still have to pay,” she said.

“I have paid them many times. Each time I take food into the prison, they would ask for money—anywhere between RM200 and RM400, depending on who is working on that day.”

She said some guards had even asked her to deposit money into their bank accounts.

“I have to pay. I do not have options. I need to see the inmates to talk to them.”

She said she had not lodged any police report or complained to prison authorities for fear of being prevented from further visits. “If I lodge a report, I think I won’t be able to see them again.”

She alleged that corruption pervaded the entire prison system. “I think everyone from the lowest to the highest rank is corrupt.”

She said a prison officer once contacted her at night to ask for money when an Iranian inmate asked him for a cigarette.

Drug mules

There are about 400 Iranians in Malaysian prisons, many of them awaiting trial for drug-related offences.

The social worker claimed that the majority of them came from poor families, were poorly educated and were tricked into becoming drug mules.

“They came here because someone had told them to carry luggages into Malaysia and then fly back to Iran to collect their payment,” she said.

“Only 5% who were caught really knew what they were doing. They knew the risks, but were still willing to do it because of the money. This small number of inmates were not arrested at the airport, but somewhere in the city.

“Those who were tricked into becoming drug mules were arrested at the airport. Only when they were arrested did they find out that they had brought in illegal substances.”

Also read:

Iranian prisoners claim mistreatment