PUTRAJAYA, Sept 28 — Former human resources minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said he is ready to cooperate fully with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) by providing details of assets he has owned since 2019, both in Malaysia and abroad, as well as their sources.

Speaking to reporters after receiving an asset declaration notice under Section 36 of the MACC Act 2009 this morning, the Tapah Member of Parliament said the notice was part of a standard procedure to enable the commission to investigate any allegations, including determining whether assets were held in his name or those of his family members.

“I have agreed to cooperate with the MACC and provide all the information they need. This is a normal procedure and there is nothing to hide. If there are allegations against anyone, this is how they investigate whether the person’s wealth is out of the ordinary.

“I was here earlier just to receive the notice, and I came with my family (my wife and two children),” he said, adding that the MACC had given him 30 days to provide the relevant information and would grant an extension if needed.

Saravanan also said he was willing to have the asset information he submitted to the MACC disclosed to the media, as he had nothing to hide.

He stressed the assets in his possession had been acquired lawfully, adding that he had more than 20 years of experience in the civil service and as an elected representative.

“I was a member of the Dewan Negara for six years, served four terms as an MP, two terms as deputy minister and then as minister. I must have acquired (my assets) legitimately,” he said.

MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman had earlier said that notices would be served on Saravanan, his wife and their three children, requiring them to declare their assets within one month. Another child, who is still abroad, would be served a notice in November.

Saravanan was previously charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with three counts of receiving bribes totalling nearly RM1.09 million in connection with the approval of 1,000 foreign worker quotas for a company in 2022. — Bernama