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THE prosecution plans to call 25 witnesses in the corruption trial of former human resources minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan, who is accused of receiving RM1.097 million in connection with foreign worker quota approvals.
Sessions Court judge Azrul Darus fixed five blocks of hearing dates between March 4 and Aug 25 next year after the prosecution and defence agreed on the schedule.
The dates are March 4, April 12, May 24 to 27, Aug 17 to 19 and Aug 23 to 25. Saravanan’s defence team had sought the earliest possible trial dates.
Deputy public prosecutor Julaila Jamaludin told the court that the prosecution had submitted 31 pages of documents to the defence, a development confirmed by defence counsel Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent.
Julaila said the documents were provided under Section 51A of the Criminal Procedure Code, allowing the defence to prepare its statement of defence under Section 62 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009.
The court directed the defence to file the statement by Jan 15, 2027.
Saravanan pleaded not guilty on Aug 28 to three charges involving alleged gratification totalling RM1.097 million over the approval of foreign worker quotas.
He is accused of receiving RM150,000 and RM350,000 in cash from Vectica Resources Sdn Bhd director Tan Teck Lim, 65, through Syed Amirul Syed Ahmad, 38, at Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resorts and Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, on June 16 and July 7, 2022.
The payments were allegedly inducements for Saravanan, who was then human resources minister, to approve TYKB Engineering Sdn Bhd’s application for 1,000 foreign worker quotas.
The third charge alleges that he received RM597,000 from Tan for the same purpose through a cheque deposited into Big Seven Ventures Sdn Bhd’s account at a Maybank Islamic branch in Taman Desa on July 7, 2022.
All three charges were framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009. If convicted, Saravanan faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of at least five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher. - November 3, 2026
