Saravanan didakwa terima rasuah RM1.097 juta berkait kuota pekerja asing

Former Malaysian human resources minister T.M. Saravanan was charged with receiving RM1.097 million in bribes related to foreign worker quotas between June and July 2022. In Kuala Lumpur, Saravanan, now 58, pleaded not guilty to three charges of receiving corrupt payments totaling RM1.097 million connected to foreign worker quotas, four years after the allegations were brought before Judge Azura Alwi.

Saravanan was accused of accepting money from Vectica Resources Sdn Bhd's director, Tan Teck Lim, via Syed Amirul Syed Ahmad to influence his decision, in his capacity as human resources minister, to approve 1,000 foreign worker quotas for TYKB Engineering Sdn Bhd. The former MIC deputy chairman was charged with receiving the money in three transactions between June and July 2022.

For the first charge, Saravanan was accused of receiving RM150,000 in cash from Tan via Syed Amirul at the Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resort on June 16, 2022. For the second charge, he was accused of receiving RM350,000 in cash from Tan via Syed Amirul at Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, on July 7, 2022. The third charge involved RM597,000 allegedly received from Tan via Syed Amirul using a Maybank Islamic cheque, deposited into Big Seven Ventures Sdn Bhd's Maybank Islamic Bhd account.

All charges were filed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency Act 2009, which can carry a sentence under Section 24(1) of the same act.