KUALA LUMPUR, September 29 2026, The defence team of former human resources minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has asked the Sessions Court to set an early trial date for his corruption case, saying the matter has been under investigation since 2022.
Saravanan is facing three corruption charges involving RM1.097 million, allegedly linked to the approval of foreign worker quotas.
His lawyer, Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent, made the request during case management before Sessions Court Judge Azrul Darus today.
He said the prosecution could continue providing outstanding documents before the trial begins and urged the court to fix the earliest available trial date.
Deputy public prosecutor P. Rubini, however, told the court that while 22 sets of documents had been handed over to the defence, some documents were still outstanding.
These include Cabinet papers and Cabinet memoranda. Rubini said the prosecution had applied to obtain the documents and needed at least another month to secure them.
The judge subsequently fixed Nov 3 for further mention and to set the trial dates.
Saravanan, 60, pleaded not guilty on Aug 28 to three charges of allegedly receiving RM1.097 million in connection with an application by TYKB Engineering Sdn Bhd for 1,000 foreign worker quotas.
The alleged payments comprised RM150,000, RM350,000 and RM597,000, which the prosecution claims were received as an inducement or reward.
The charges were framed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009. If convicted, the offence carries up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of at least five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
-BERNAMA
