Instead of just getting vaccinated, civil servants pay up to RM1,000 to get fake vaccine certificates

Three civil servants, including a husband and wife pair working in a government department in Melaka, have been arrested over the possession of fake MySejahtera COVID-19 digital vaccination certificates. The certificates were allegedly bought by the civil servants because they were a precondition to get bonuses or financial assistance.

According to the Alor Gajah district police chief, Supt. Arshad Abu, the couple was arrested along with a colleague—who also acted as the middle man, managing the sale of the COVID-19 digital vaccination certificates. Investigations showed that the married couple had acquired the fake digital certificates from their colleague for RM500 a piece.

“On 30 December, the department head of where the couple is working became suspicious of the fully-vaccinated status of the husband and wife and directed his officer to check the authenticity of the certificates. The next day, the officer sent a letter to the Rembia Health Clinic to check and confirm the status of the certificates. On 5 January, Rembia remarked that both suspects were not vaccinated at the clinic,” Supt. Arshad Abu said in a statement.

The police chief also explained that the fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates were obtained by the couple because a COVID-19 vaccination certification was a precondition to get a bonus. This was in addition to avoiding action by the government department for refusing to be vaccinated and making it easier for them to enter business premises.

Supt. Arshad added that they also found the couple had previously lodged a police report in the middle of 2021 as they “refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine injection”. Police then found the colleague, who acted as the middle man, after they furthered their investigations.

Faking vaccination certificates is surprisingly common in Malaysia. On 11 January, it was reported that a Malaysian private clinic doctor had been arrested for issuing fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates as well. A fake certificate was reportedly priced at RM400 and RM600 a pop.

The Royal Malaysia Police has also recently announced that they will intensify operations for tracking down parties involved in selling fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates. They are “investigating to see if there are similar cases in other states”.

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