Saravanan charged with receiving RM1.097m bribe, foreign worker quota application approved
Former Malaysian Human Resources Minister Charged with Corruption Over Foreign Worker Quota Approvals
Source: Utusan Malaysia · August 28, 2026 at 2:01 AM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, BUKIT JALIL GOLF & COUNTRY RESORTS, JALAN TELAWI 3, BANGSAR, JALAN KLANG LAMA, 28 AUGUST 2026 —
Former Malaysian Human Resources Minister Charged with Corruption Over Foreign Worker Quota Approvals
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KUALA LUMPUR — Former Malaysian Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan was charged at the Sessions Court here today with three counts of receiving a total of RM1.097 million in bribes related to the approval of 1,000 foreign worker quota applications for a company four years ago. Saravanan, 58, who is also MIC Deputy President, pleaded not guilty to all charges after they were read out in court before Judge Azura Alwi.
The charges allege that Saravanan received RM150,000 and RM350,000 in cash on June 16, 2022, and July 7, 2022, respectively, from Tan Teck Lim, 65, director of Vectica Resources Sdn Bhd, via Syed Amirul Syed Ahmad, 38, at Bukit Jalil Golf & Country Resorts and Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar. The payments were allegedly made as inducements for Saravanan, in his capacity as minister, to approve the foreign worker quota applications for TYKB Engineering Sdn Bhd.
A third charge involves Saravanan allegedly receiving RM597,000 via a bank cheque deposited into the account of Big Seven Ventures Sdn Bhd at Maybank Islamic, Jalan Klang Lama branch, on July 7, 2022, for the same purpose. All charges were filed under Section 16(a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of at least five times the bribe amount or RM10,000, if convicted.
Malaysian markets and political observers are expected to monitor the case closely, given its implications for governance and anti-corruption efforts. The trial date has not yet been set.