FORMER Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to intervene and halt a 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.
He wrote in a statement that the memorandum also provided for the establishment of a special one-stop centre involving several ministries to expedite the recruitment process.
Saravanan said his role had been to address the country’s labour shortage, respond to pressure from the industry and act on repeated Cabinet instructions to speed up the recruitment process.
He said applications were submitted through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), which screened companies before referring eligible applicants to the one-stop centre under the Human Resources Ministry.
“As minister, I had no knowledge of the companies that applied or those selected to attend interview sessions,” he stressed.
Saravanan also disputed the circumstances surrounding the detention of two businessmen, Syed Amirul and Siva Ganesan, in August 2022 in connection with the foreign worker recruitment process.
He alleged that both men were pressured to make statements linking him to the case.
According to Saravanan, Syed Amirul was released after four days after agreeing to make a statement implicating him, following alleged threats by MACC officers to detain his wife.
He said Siva Ganesan, who was undergoing dialysis treatment at the time, was remanded for six days after refusing to make a statement against him.
Saravanan said Syed Amirul and his wife subsequently signed statutory declarations on Sept 22, 2022, disputing the earlier statements, and copies were sent to MACC.
He then disclosed that the RM10,000 cash bail paid for Syed Amirul was later returned by MACC on June 26, 2023, which he said indicated the matter had been closed without an investigation against him.
However, Saravanan said the matter resurfaced in November last year when Syed Amirul and his wife were again called for questioning.
He stated that they responded by submitting another statutory declaration reaffirming their earlier account.
Syed Amirul died on July 28 this year.
Saravanan said the development was particularly troubling as the person he described as a key witness was no longer alive.
He added that he had held several discussions with Anwar on the matter since November last year, including one as recently as last month.
According to Saravanan, the prime minister had previously assured him that no action would be taken against him.
“I am deeply disappointed that MACC has suddenly initiated legal action or an investigation against me,” he said.
Saravanan maintained that no cash or material evidence had been seized from him, that he had not issued instructions to any government officer in relation to the matter and that he did not possess the authority to approve foreign worker applications.
He also said he did not know any of the applicants named in the allegations and had never communicated with Syed Amirul or any other individual involved.
Saravanan urged Anwar to take action to stop the matter, describing the case as baseless and saying it should be brought to an immediate end.
He further alleged that the action against him amounted to persecution and was driven by malicious motives. – August 27, 2026
