Sivarasa defends staff arrested by MACC, says bribe allegation makes no sense

PETALING JAYA: Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah today admitted that it was three of his staff who were arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday over alleged corruption, but said the allegations against them were false.
He identified them as his political secretary Naveen Kularasa, who is also his nephew, Joshua Kalaiselvan and Nico Kam.
In claiming that the alleged request for a bribe involving an immigration matter of foreign workers made "no sense at all", Sivarasa said he believed that they were framed by people who were involved in an issue he had raised in a recent press conference.
"On Aug 9, I had raised the issue of alleged corrupt practices in the Immigration Department which involved a Bangladeshi national named Monomiah Siddikur Rahman.
"The information provided to me by one Malaysian Mohd Tahir Fazal showed that Monomiah was obtaining professional category work permits for Bangladeshi workers using forged documents, who were then put to work in four and five star hotels in KL as cleaners and housekeepers.
"I believe that they (my staff) are being framed by these persons who were involved in the issues I had raised. I have no reason to believe that both Monomiah and Tahir are involved, and they could be acting at the behest of other persons for political motives," he said in a statement today.
Sivarasa said there was no logic to the allegations that his staff had requested payment in connection with the issue, claiming that the "bribe-givers" would not have bothered to pay when the staff had no control over immigration matters.
"I reject these allegations against my staff. I know my staff well, in particular Naveen who is also my nephew. I have full confidence in their integrity.
"I regret that the MACC had resorted to arresting and remanding my staff who are now the victims of my having raised this issue," he said.
Sivarasa also stressed that he was not the subject of the MACC investigation, and that he had provided whatever information requested of him in respect to the investigation.