UALA LUMPUR — News portal Malaysiakini says it will conduct a thorough inquiry into the allegations against one of its reporters who was arrested last week over alleged bribery, including to determine if the accusations were an attempt to silence him for his reports that have exposed migrant worker smuggling syndicates.
Malaysiakini’s editors said the journalist, B Nantha Kumar, who joined in 2018, had written extensively on syndicates linked to migrant workers, including those that involved the Immigration Department.
“Given his track record, we find these allegations difficult to comprehend,” it said in an editorial note in a report about Nantha Kumar’s release today after four days in remand following his arrest last Friday.
“Given the nature of Nantha’s work and Malaysiakini’s reporting on high profile corruption scandals – and the significant interests it has addressed – we are committed to thoroughly investigating the situation to uncover the truth and determine if any efforts were made to silence him or undermine Malaysiakini’s reputation.”
The editors also urged the authorities to protect whistleblower’s connected to investigations into Nantha Kumar, as some of them hold high positions in the Immigration Department.
Nantha Kumar was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at a hotel in Shah Alam at 11.45pm on Feb 28 in what MACC called a “trap” operation.
The anti-graft agency said an agent dealing with migrant workers had reported Nantha Kumar’s alleged solicitation of a cash bribe so as not to publish an article on the illegal entry of migrant workers.
MACC said the “trap” involved the agent arranging to handover the bribe at the hotel, where MACC officers arrested the journalist who was in possession of RM20,000.
It was initially thought that Nantha Kumar had been arrested over his Feb 22 report alleging that a retired Immigration official had been facilitating syndicates to illegally bring in Pakistani migrant workers.
However, MACC later said this was incorrect, and that his arrest was for receiving a bribe, an offence under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009.
Nantha Kumar was released from the Putrajaya MACC headquarters at around 3pm today and was reported to be in good condition.
Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand posted RM10,000 bail for him.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki yesterday said the corruption investigation was not focused on the journalist alone, but into syndicates and cartels that have allegedly brought in migrant workers illegally. – March 4, 2025