Summary
Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar will be charged over allegations of receiving a RM20,000 bribe from a Pakistani agent.
The journalist, who has denied the allegation, is confident he will be proven innocent.
Malaysiakini reporter B Nantha Kumar is set to be charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court this Friday over allegations of receiving a RM20,000 bribe.
Nantha, who has denied the accusation, was informed this afternoon by MACC that he would face charges.
“I am confident that I will be proven innocent. This is an attempt to silence me and to stop me from further exposing corruption,” he added.
Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand reaffirmed the news portal’s support for Nantha, emphasising that he remains innocent until proven otherwise.
“We are also conducting internal inquiries with external parties into the matter and will make our findings public,” Anand said.
READ MORE | Bribe allegation: This is my story
He highlighted Nantha’s contributions since joining Malaysiakini in 2018, describing him as an outstanding journalist whose investigative work has led to major headlines.
“His fearless reporting on syndicates linked to migrant workers has been instrumental in exposing critical issues,” Anand added.
He also stressed Malaysiakini’s unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity, transparency, and ethical reporting.
Exposing migrant worker syndicate
On March 7, Malaysiakini published Nantha’s account of the events leading to his arrest on March 1.
The senior journalist denied allegations that he solicited RM100,000 from a Pakistani or negotiated the sum down to RM20,000.
Nantha maintained that he was working with a state immigration director to expose a migrant worker syndicate.
Pending the independent panel’s findings, Malaysiakini has suspended Nantha with full benefits.