A PKR lawmaker wants Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani to explain an alleged support letter he issued for a Bangladeshi migrant worker operation.

Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah alleged that Johari, in April 2015, wrote the support letter to the immigration department on behalf of a Bangladeshi businessperson applying for an entry permit.

Contacted later, the minister said he did not know the businessperson personally.

"I don't know this guy. As far as I'm concerned anyone who comes to my (Titiwangsa parliamentary) service centre for a letter of support for his legitimate business, I will support.

"The letter is dated April 2015, I need to check whether such letter was issued by my service centre in the first place," he told Malaysiakini.

In the alleged letter, a copy of which Sivarasa showed to the media, Johari purportedly said the businessperson is a law abiding permanent resident who has been living in Malaysia for 10 years and has two companies registered here.

According to the letter, one of the companies the businessperson runs is a hotel cleaning and housekeeping service.

Minister: Cheats must face the law

Sivarasa claimed the businessperson has brought in over 300 Bangladeshi workers.

However, he claimed that the cleaning company doesn't have a licence to do outsourcing work.

He also claimed that many of the workers brought in had used fake certificates in their applications.

Responding to this, Johari said anyone who breaks the law must be investigated by the authorities, regardless of whether or not they had a support letter.

"In this case, if it is true that (the businessperson) had cheated the immigration department, action should be taken against him," he added.

The case had been brought to Sivarasa's attention by one Mohamad Tahir Faizal.

Mohamad, who accompanied Sivarasa at a press conference in the Parliament media room this afternoon, said he had informed immigration director Mustafar Ali of the matter last September.

He claimed Mustafar had told him he would look into the case but has not heard of any developments since.

Malaysiakini has contacted Mustafar for comment.