Deputy Unity Minister Senator K Saraswathy has denied the allegation that she has tax arrears amounting close to RM200,000.

“That’s fake news, I will sue them (those circulating the documents),” the PKR vice-president told Malaysiakini this evening.

Saraswathy also said she will lodge a police report against Tamil portal Makkal Osai tomorrow for disseminating “false information”.

“This is the second time the news portal has circulated false news about me. So I am compelled to take legal action,” she added.

The portal said it sighted documents which, among others, included the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) granting Saraswathy a temporary permit for overseas travel.

Malaysiakini also sighted the same documents, which alleged the deputy minister had outstanding tax payments for 10 years from 2010 until 2020.

Also included was a purported letter to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Razarudin Husain and IRB director-general Abu Tariq Jamaluddin stating that the temporary permit was to allow her to travel abroad for medical purposes.

A check on the Immigration Department website using the Mykad number stated in the documents resulted in the following response: “Please refer to the nearest immigration office”.

Saraswathy confirmed the Mykad number in the documents is the same as hers.

Malaysiakini has contacted IRB for further information on the matter.

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