Editor’s note: On March 14, the journalist B. Nantha Kumar was charged in a local court for allegedly receiving a bribe of 20,000 ringgit (US$4,500) in return for removing and not uploading articles about a migrant trafficking syndicate. Nantha pleaded not guilty and is out on bail pending trial. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of at least 100,000 ringgit (US$ 22,495) if convicted.
New York, March 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the arrest of Malaysian journalist B. Nantha Kumar on allegations of soliciting bribes, days after he exposed an alleged migrant trafficking syndicate at the capital’s main airport.
“Corruption and human trafficking are crimes in Malaysia; reporting on these offences is not,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Malaysian authorities must ensure B. Nantha Kumar can continue to report safely and that the law is not misused to curtail investigative reporting or to intimidate the media. Journalists must be free to uncover wrongdoing.”
Nantha who has worked for the leading independent news site Malaysiakini since 2018, was detained by anti-corruption authorities on February 28 on allegations that he took a bribe from an agent who dealt with migrant workers.
Nantha reports regularly on migrant trafficking in Malaysia, where the mistreatment of migrant workers has been widely criticized. His latest investigation, which alleged that a retired senior official and a foreign national run a criminal operation out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, was published on February 22.
Malaysiakini managing editor Ng Ling Fong told CPJ that the outlet stood by Nantha’s reporting, and that he was due to be released on bail on March 4 after a four-day remand. Malaysiakini said in a statement that it would not condone any staff wrongdoing, if proven.
Nantha was among three Malaysiakini journalists questioned by police last year over their source for a report about a police leadership reshuffle.
Malaysiakini has faced intimidation and lawsuits since it was founded in 1999. In November, authorities ordered the outlet to remove its reports about an alleged corruption scandal. In January, police seized its executive editor’s laptop after reporting an ex-minister’s remarks.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for comment via email.