In a Malaysiakini report, Nantha said he was informed of the matter by the MACC this afternoon.

“I am confident that I will be proven innocent. This is an attempt to silence me and to stop me from further exposing corruption,” he said.

Nantha, who was arrested by the MACC on Feb 28, was released on March 4 after being remanded by the anti-graft agency for four days.

He was investigated for allegedly soliciting and receiving bribes from a foreign worker agent, purportedly in exchange for not publishing two articles exposing a foreign worker syndicate.

In his account of the events leading up to his arrest, Nantha denied MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s claim that he had asked a foreign worker agent for a RM100,000 bribe, which was later negotiated down to RM20,000.

The journalist said he was working undercover with a state immigration director to expose a foreign worker syndicate.

In the Malaysiakini report, its executive editor RK Anand emphasised that Nantha remains innocent until proven otherwise.

Describing him as an outstanding journalist whose investigative work has led to major headlines, Anand said Malaysiakini is still conducting inquiries with external parties into the matter.