RM20,000 bribery case: ‘Malaysiakini’ reporter to face charge on Friday, portal stands by him
‘Malaysiakini’ journalist B Nantha Kumar, who has denied the accusation, said he was informed of the charges by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) this afternoon. — Unsplash pic
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2025 4:56 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar is to be charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court this Friday over allegations of accepting a RM20,000 bribe.
Nantha, who has denied the accusation, said he was informed of the charges by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) this afternoon, according to a report published in Malaysiakini today.
“I am confident that I will be proven innocent. This is an attempt to silence me and prevent me from exposing corruption,” he said.
Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand reaffirmed the news portal’s support for Nantha, stressing that he remains innocent until proven guilty.
“We are also conducting internal inquiries with external parties and will make our findings public,” Anand said.
He described Nantha as an outstanding journalist whose investigative work has led to major headlines since joining Malaysiakini in 2018.
“His fearless reporting on syndicates linked to migrant workers has been crucial in exposing critical issues,” Anand added, underscoring Malaysiakini’s commitment to journalistic integrity and ethical reporting.
On March 7, Malaysiakini published Nantha’s personal recounting of the events leading up to his arrest on March 1.
The senior journalist denied allegations that he had solicited RM100,000 from a Pakistani before negotiating the sum to RM20,000.
He maintained that he had been working with a state immigration director to uncover a migrant worker syndicate.
Pending the outcome of an independent panel’s review, Malaysiakini has suspended him with full benefits.
* An earlier version of this article contained an error which has since been rectified.
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