Man charged with graft over foreign workers

NST Online, 18 Feb 2009
 
K. Sivakumar, 35, pleaded not guilty to accepting RM10,000 from S. Paramasivam, a restaurant owner, at Sri Paandi Restoran in Brickfields at 1.45am on Feb 11.

The money was purportedly to be given to the director of the investigation division of the Immigration Department in Putrajaya as an inducement to close investigation files and return 21 passports belonging to the restaurant workers.

The passports were allegedly seized during an operation on foreign workers.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency's deputy public prosecutor Ng Siew Wee proposed RM10,000 bail in one surety and applied for Sivakumar's passport to be surrendered to the court.

Sivakumar's lawyer, C.N. Sritharan, pleaded for a lower amount and said that Sivakumar was supporting his family and aged parents.

"His two children are aged 2 and 4. His wife is expecting their third child."

Sritharan also said his client required his passport as he often travelled abroad for work.

Judge Rosbiahanin Arifin granted Sivakumar RM7,000 bail in one surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court.

She fixed March 23 for mention.

Sivakumar posted the bail.