Former Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan was granted RM450,000 bail after pleading not guilty to three charges of accepting RM1.097 million in bribes.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan was today granted bail of RM450,000 by the Sessions Court here after pleading not guilty to three charges of accepting RM1.097 million in bribes linked to the approval of foreign worker quotas.
Sessions Court Judge Azura Alwi allowed bail with one surety and ordered Saravanan to report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) once every three months.
The court also prohibited him from contacting or interfering with prosecution witnesses.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib led the prosecution, while lawyer Datuk Geethan Ram Vincent headed Saravanan’s defence team.
Earlier, DPP Julaila Jamaludin sought RM800,000 bail, citing the seriousness of the offences and Saravanan’s status as a public figure.
She also applied for an order requiring Saravanan to surrender his passport to the court.
However, Geethan argued that bail should not serve as punishment but should only ensure the accused’s attendance at court proceedings.
He said the prosecution’s proposed bail was excessive, adding that Saravanan had fully cooperated with investigators throughout the MACC probe and there was no indication that he posed a flight risk.
Geethan also objected to the proposed passport surrender, saying Saravanan needed to travel for work involving charitable and cultural foundations, as well as for intermittent medical treatment at Apollo Hospital in Chennai.
He had proposed bail of RM400,000.
The case has been fixed for mention on Sept 29.
The Sun Malaysia
