PETALING JAYA: Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar has denied allegations that he solicited a bribe, stating that his arrest was the result of a sting operation that went wrong.
He was released on Tuesday (March 4) after being remanded for four days by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Nantha was investigated for allegedly soliciting and receiving bribes from a foreign worker agent in exchange for not publishing two articles exposing a foreign worker syndicate.
However, in his account of the events leading to his arrest last Friday, Nantha denied MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s claim that he had demanded RM100,000 from the agent before settling for RM20,000.
In a Malaysiakini report, Nantha maintained that he never requested or negotiated any bribe, and was instead working to expose a syndicate falsifying immigration exit and entry records at KLIA.
He began investigating the so-called ‘Fly’ syndicate in early February, publishing his first report on Malaysiakini on Feb 19.
He followed up with a second report on Feb 22, which revealed the involvement of Pakistani agents.
After his reports, officials from the Home Ministry and Immigration Department reached out to him for information.
However, when the Immigration Department’s intelligence director attempted to contact him, he received no further response.
On Feb 26, a Pakistani agent mentioned in his report contacted him to deny involvement, claiming that another person had asked for RM400,000 to “settle” the case.
Nantha later met with the agents at a restaurant owned by a former high-ranking immigration officer.
“During our meeting, they took me to a private room where one of the agents claimed that someone had asked for RM400,000 to “settle” the case with the police, MACC, immigration department and Malaysiakini.
“They offered me RM50,000 and were prepared to pay me RM20,000 on the spot. I firmly refused and made it clear that I am not for sale,” he was quoted as saying.
After the meeting, he approached the state immigration director, who asked him to continue engaging with the agents to gather stronger evidence.
Nantha agreed to act as an “undercover agent” but did not inform his Malaysiakini superiors due to the risks involved.
On Feb 28, Nantha met with one of the agents at the Concorde Hotel in Shah Alam—chosen for its CCTV coverage and because Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was attending an event there.
He claimed this was part of his attempt to gather evidence.
During the meeting, the agent allegedly asked him to delete the article and handed him an envelope, which he believed contained cash.
Moments later, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) moved in and arrested him.
Nantha asserted that since the publication of the first article on the new syndicate on Feb 19, he had never contacted any agent to ask for bribes.
Instead, he said it was the agents who had repeatedly offered to bribe them.
He further stressed that if he had intended to profit from the story, they could have contacted the “mastermind” before the initial publication to demand a significant sum.
He also pointed out that if he had intended to accept a bribe, he would not have met at a high-profile location.
“I deeply regret that this incident has also tarnished Malaysiakini’s reputation, which was never my intention,” he said, apologising to his colleagues for any distress caused.
In response, Malaysiakini has launched an independent investigation into the matter and suspended Nantha with full benefits pending the outcome.
In an editor’s note in the article, the news portal acknowledged Nantha’s contributions since joining in 2018, highlighting his role in exposing syndicates linked to migrant workers.
However, it reaffirmed its commitment to journalistic integrity and transparency.
“Our inquiry will be thorough, just and firmly aligned with the values we uphold,” the statement read.
