Former human resources minister M. Saravanan has written to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim seeking intervention in an ongoing MACC investigation into foreign worker recruitment.
PETALING JAYA: Former human resources minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan has appealed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to intervene in a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation involving him, maintaining that he had no authority over the approval of foreign worker applications during his tenure.
In a letter to Anwar dated Aug 24, the Tapah MP said neither he nor any member of his family had been involved in the recruitment of foreign workers.
Saravanan said a Cabinet memorandum dated April 13, 2022, clearly stated that the human resources minister did not have the power to approve such applications.
He said the memorandum instead provided for a special one-stop centre involving several ministries to speed up the recruitment process.
According to Saravanan, his role as minister was primarily to address the country’s labour shortage, respond to industry concerns and implement repeated Cabinet directives to expedite the hiring of foreign workers.
He said applications were submitted through the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), which screened companies before referring eligible applications 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 said.
Saravanan also raised questions over the detention of two businessmen, Syed Amirul and Siva Ganesan, in August 2022 in connection with the foreign worker recruitment process.
He alleged that the two men had been pressured to provide statements implicating him.
Saravanan claimed Syed Amirul was released after four days after agreeing to give such a statement, alleging that MACC officers had threatened to detain his wife.
He also claimed 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 later signed statutory declarations on Sept 22, 2022, disputing the earlier statements, with copies submitted to the MACC.
He said the RM10,000 cash bail paid for Syed Amirul was subsequently returned by the MACC on June 26, 2023.
Saravanan claimed the return of the bail suggested that the matter had been closed without any investigation against him.
However, he said the issue resurfaced in November last year when Syed Amirul and his wife were called in for questioning again.
He said they responded by submitting another statutory declaration reaffirming their earlier account.
Syed Amirul died on July 28 this year.
Saravanan said the development was concerning because the person he regarded as a key witness was no longer alive.
He added that he had held several discussions with Anwar about the matter since November last year, including one as recently as last month.
According to Saravanan, Anwar 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 other material evidence had been seized from him and that he had never instructed any government officer in relation to the matter.
He reiterated that he did not have the authority to approve foreign worker applications and claimed he did not know any of the applicants named in the allegations.
He also denied having communicated with Syed Amirul or any other individual allegedly involved in the case.
Saravanan urged Anwar to intervene and bring the matter to an end, describing the allegations against him as baseless.
He further alleged that the action amounted to persecution and was motivated by malicious intent.
