FORMER Human Resources Minister Datuk M Saravanan today pleaded not guilty to three charges of accepting bribes worth more than RM1 million to approve a foreign worker quota for a company in 2022.
Saravanan, 58, made the plea after the charges were read to him before Judge Azura Alwi.
The MIC Deputy President is accused of accepting bribes, namely cash amounting to RM150,000, RM350,000 and RM597,000 from the Director of Vectica Resources Sdn Bhd, Tan Teck Lim, 65, through Syed Amirul Syed Ahmad, 38.
The company applied for 1,000 foreign worker quotas. He allegedly received the funds in three tranches between June and July 2022.
On the first and second counts, Saravanan allegedly accepted RM150,000 and RM350,000 in cash from Tan, allegedly as an inducement and reward to approve the quota applications for TYKB Engineering.
He allegedly committed the first offence at a golf and country resort in Bukit Jalil on June 16, 2022, and the second in Bangsar on July 7, 2022.
On the third count, he allegedly received a RM597,000 cheque from Tan through Syed Amirul, which was deposited into a Maybank Islamic Bhd account belonging to Big Seven Ventures Sdn Bhd.
He allegedly committed the third offence at a bank in Jalan Klang Lama, Taman Desa, on July 7, 2022.
For all three charges, he was charged with committing an offence under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, which is punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.
If convicted, he can be sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
Judge Azura Alwi subsequently set bail at RM450,000 and ordered Saravanan to report to the nearest MACC office once every three months and refrain from contacting witnesses directly or indirectly.
The court set the next date for September 29.
The prosecution was conducted by Deputy Public Prosecutor, Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib, while Saravanan was represented by lawyer, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent.
Dressed in a dark suit, the 58-year-old was accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Kavitha Vivekanandan and MIC president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran.
The courtroom's public gallery was packed with Saravanan's supporters, while others gathered near the courtroom were denied entry.
Security was also tightened around the court complex, with a heavy police presence and access restricted to those with court business following the closure of the main entry and exit gates.
Yesterday, he urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to intervene and halt the MACC investigation against him, insisting that he had no role in approving foreign worker applications during his tenure.
In a letter to Anwar dated Aug 24, the Tapah MP said he had never personally been involved in the recruitment of foreign workers, and neither had any member of his family.
Saravanan said a Cabinet memorandum dated April 13, 2022, clearly stated that the human resources minister had no authority to approve foreign worker applications. – August 28, 2026
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