Saravanan seeks Nov 3 case date as prosecution awaits two documents

FORMER human resources minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan is seeking to expedite his RM1.097 million bribery case after the prosecution asked for more time to complete the handover of documents.

The Tapah MP said the prosecution had handed one volume of documents to the defence during proceedings at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today but required additional time to prepare two more documents.

The prosecution had initially sought a case management date towards the end of November, but Saravanan said his lawyers requested an earlier date.

“Although the prosecution requested a date at the end of November (for case management), we wanted an earlier date.

“My lawyers applied for an earlier date and the judge fixed Nov 3 for the next mention,” he told reporters after the proceedings.

Saravanan said his defence team was ready to proceed and saw no reason for further delays.

“My lawyers pointed out that this is not a new case, it is a 2022 case.

“All the documents should have been available before taking action against a former minister, but I have still given the prosecution room when they asked for more time.

“I hope there will be no further delays. On Nov 3, I hope the prosecution will hand over all the relevant documents,” he said.

Saravanan, 58, was charged on Aug 28 with three counts of allegedly accepting RM1.097 million in bribes from a company director as an inducement to assist the company in obtaining a project from the Human Resources Ministry.

He allegedly received RM150,000, RM350,000 and RM597,000 from Vectica Resources Sdn Bhd director Tan Teck Lim, 65, through the late Syed Amirul Syed Ahmad, 38.

The RM597,000 was allegedly received through a cheque deposited into the bank account of Big Seven Ventures Sdn Bhd.

The payments were allegedly intended as an inducement or reward for Saravanan to approve an application for 1,000 foreign worker quotas for TYKB Engineering Sdn Bhd.

The alleged offences took place at a golf club in Bukit Jalil, Jalan Telawi 3 in Bangsar and a bank at the Jalan Klang Lama branch in Taman Desa on June 16 and July 7, 2022.

Saravanan was charged under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act.

If convicted, the provision carries a maximum 20-year jail term and a fine of at least five times the amount of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.

The prosecution is led by Deputy Public Prosecutors Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib, Julaila Jamaludin and P Rubini, while Saravanan is represented by Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, Lavinia Raja and Jeremiah Anand.

The case will be mentioned before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi on Nov 3. - September 29, 2026