Summary
Malaysiakini reporter B Nantha Kumar lodges a police report against an agent who deals with foreign workers for allegedly trying to bribe him.
This follows last week’s incident of MACC arresting and remanding the journalist for four days after he accepted an envelope from the agent.
Nantha reiterates his innocence and urges the police to investigate the agent, whom he claimed is also a convicted human trafficker.
Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar has lodged a police report against a Pakistani agent who handed him an envelope containing cash last Friday and caused his subsequent arrest by the MACC.
In a report lodged at the Dang Wangi police headquarters sighted by Malaysiakini, Nantha denied soliciting or accepting any bribe from the agent, whom he identified as Zahid.
Instead, the journalist said it was Zahid who tried to buy him off, and that he took the envelope given by the agent for the purpose of collecting “proof” against a migrant worker trafficking syndicate that allegedly involves Zahid.
“When I met him about 11.10pm at the Concorde Hotel in Shah Alam to discuss my investigation into Zahid’s (alleged) ‘Fly’ syndicate, he passed me a brown envelope in an attempt to persuade me to cooperate with him in the syndicate.
“I had taken the envelope as evidence to prove that he tried to bribe me. This was because a state immigration director had asked me to help the department collect evidence against several Pakistanis whom they suspect were involved in fly syndicate activities.
“However, before I could report Zahid’s action to the Immigration Department, I was arrested by the MACC on the spot and later remanded for four days on accusation that I was taking bribes.
“I hereby deny that I have ever solicited or taken any bribe. On the contrary, it was Zahid who wanted to bribe me in the incident,” Nantha said in the report, which he lodged at about 5pm today.
The “Fly” syndicate refers to a scheme that falsifies immigration status, clearing overstayers or blacklisted individuals by using fake exit and entry stamps.
Check agent’s background
Nantha urged the police to investigate Zahid’s background as the agent allegedly confessed that he was previously jailed in Malaysia over a human trafficking offence.
The reporter questioned why Zahid was allowed to stay in the country, supposedly on a professional visa, if it was true that he had been convicted.
“I lodged this report to urge the police to conduct a thorough investigation on this incident and on Zahid’s background,” he said.
Nantha also attached a copy of a Malaysiakini article published yesterday, where he wrote his account of the Feb 28 incident.
READ MORE: Bribe allegation: This is my story
Nantha was accused of receiving RM20,000 from an agent dealing with migrant workers, in exchange for not publishing two articles that would expose the cartel.
He was released from remand on Tuesday.
Nantha has worked with Malaysiakini since 2018 and has written extensively about immigration syndicates, including those involving the Immigration Department.