Birth Certificate For Late Registration Sold For Up To Rm50,000 By Syndicate

KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- The birth registration syndicate that forged documents to deceive the National Registration Department (NRD) into issuing legitimate birth certificates is believed to be selling the certificate for up to RM50,000 to parents with adopted or stateless children.

According to a source, the syndicate employs individuals to pose as a relative of the baby to submit forged documents on the baby’s birth at the NRD counter during the registration process.

“The forged documents, which are issued by legal practitioners and doctors, are prepared by the syndicate.

“After the  ‘relative’ obtains the birth certificate issued by NRD, the ‘relative’ will hand over the certificate to the syndicate which then sells it on the black market—often to parents or guardians willing to pay a high price for the document," the source revealed.

According to the source, the price of the forged birth certificate ranges between RM10,000 and RM50,000, depending on demand.

According to the source, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is still investigating the involvement of agents and middlemen in the syndicate.

"So far, through Ops Outlander, only an officer of a government agency has been arrested for allegedly colluding with the syndicate in the issuance of forged birth certificates," the source said.

Eight individuals who were arrested under Ops Birth and Ops Outlander last week are still on remand, while two were released on bail after their remand period ended on March 16.

The MACC has frozen 11 bank accounts, containing RM100,000, and seized 30 documents as part of the ongoing investigation.

On March 11, 16 individuals aged between 20 and 80, were in the Klang Valley and Johor under Ops Outlander and Ops Birth.

Among those detained were a civil servant, a medical practitioner with the title Datuk Seri, a legal practitioner, as well as agents and birth registration applicants.  They are suspected of committing offences between 2013 to 2018 and 2023 to 2025 involving bribery and the preparation and submission of false birth confirmation documents.

-- BERNAMA