A syndicate established in connection with the Malaysia labour market has laundered a huge amount of money and the total laundered money will stand at Tk 87.50 billion.
Allegations have been raised that Tk 100,000 has been taken as syndicate fee from each Malaysia-bound worker and about Tk 50 billion has been laundered in this way.
Moreover, Tk 37.50 billion has been laundered in the name of visa trade.
All recruitment agencies in Bangladesh were not allowed to send workers to Malaysia.
Out of more than 1,500 agencies, a syndicate of 100 agencies had been formed.
According to a survey conducted by Verite Incorporated and four other companies (May 2023), members of this syndicate charged an average of Tk 5,44,000 per worker instead of the government-specified cost of Tk 79,000.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, owners of two recruiting agencies involved in the syndicate revealed how additional money was taken from them and laundered to Malaysia.
They said two controllers of the syndicate are: Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor who is Bangladeshi-born Malaysian citizen. His representative in Bangladesh is Mohammad Ruhul Amin alias Swapon.
The Malaysian labour market for Bangladeshis has been closed repeatedly due to sending workers through syndicate, bribery and money laundering. Sending workers to the Malaysian labour market recently came to a halt in May. Malaysia is one of Bangladesh’s largest labour markets.
The Human Resource Development Center, while not part of the syndicate, has been sending workers through other agencies.
Fakhrul Islam, managing director of the center and joint secretary of the recruiting agency organisation BAIRA, told Prothom Alo that the agency through which they sent workers charged a syndicate fee of Tk 1,52,000 for each worker under the pretext of issuing BMET clearance certificates.
In reality, the actual cost of obtaining this certificate is only Tk 6,000.
He further mentioned that additional costs for air tickets and other expenses had to be borne separately. As a result, the overall migration costs have increased.
How the syndicate operates
Names of aspirant migrants have to be registered in a software to send workers to Malaysia. The name of the software is the Foreign Workers Central Management System (FWCMS).
This system is owned by Bestinet, a company managed by Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor.
Recruitment agency owners said that the registration fee per worker is 100 Malaysian Ringgit (approximately Tk 2,700), but they are charged around Tk 1,07,000.
Of the amount, Tk 7,000 is retained by a local collection agency, and the remaining Tk 1,00,000 taka is sent to Bestinet in Malaysia through illegal channels.
The Migrant software lists only those companies that are part of the syndicate. Members of the syndicate are required to pay a 100 Ringgit fee per worker through e-wallet transactions.
According to two recruitment agency owners, after depositing Tk 1,07,000 per worker, Bestinet allows payment of the 100 Ringgit fee through e-wallet; otherwise, the transaction does not proceed. Control over the software remains with the syndicate.
Two members of the Malaysian syndicate claim that Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor demands extra payment under the pretext of bribing various officials in Malaysia.
His representative in Bangladesh, Ruhul Amin, owns an agency named Catharsis International.
Payments had to be made at their Dhaka office on Madani Avenue, where employees routinely handled large sums of money.
Attempts were made to take comment on allegations from Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor, but this was not possible.
Ruhul Amin also was not available for comment. He is believed to have left the country following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August.
Earlier, on 20 June, speaking to Prothom Alo, he said, allegations of taking and laundering money are false. Why will everyone give me money, am I so powerful? Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor is also a businessman. How will the businessmen have control over the labour market?
He said, all approvals were granted by the governments of the two countries and all agencies have applied to Malaysia. There was strong lobbying. The agencies, which have good connections in Malaysia, have got approval.
However, ordinary recruiting agents said that except Bangladesh, all agencies in other countries can send workers to Malaysia.
Some Bangladeshi businesses have created a syndicate through illegal transactions in Malaysia, and the Bangladeshi government has not taken action.
Complaints about Bestinet’s irregularities were filed with Bangladesh expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry in 2023.
The ministry sent a letter to the Bangladesh high commission in Malaysia on 9 May 2023 to take actions on the basis of allegations of recruiting agencies and employers after discussing with the Malaysian government.
A number of recruiting agencies made allegations to the ministry due to the lack of e-wallet top-ups (money deposits) from Bestinet.
Employers companies in Malaysia also informed the home ministry of the matter. They also sent copies of the letters to the Bangladesh expatriates welfare ministry.
BAIRA also sent a letter to the expatriates’ welfare ministry, raising similar allegations.
On the basis of that letter, the expatriates welfare ministry sent a letter to the Bangladesh high commission in Malaysia on 2 January.
According to the letter, most of the recruiting agencies selected through FWCMS don't have adequate facilities and capacity to collect workers and send them.
The automatic selection of recruiting agents has created an opportunity for associated agencies to impose high immigration costs. Additionally, despite the presence of 12 approved visa centres for e-visas, only the Dhaka office of the FWCMS issues e-visas through the Malaysia Employment Facilitation Center (MEFC). The letter requests arrangements for visa issuance from multiple centres.
Sources said that the MEFC office is located at the Catharsis Tower in Banani, Dhaka. Passports for workers heading to Malaysia have been submitted there, and the agencies have collected the passports from that location.
Ruhul Amin's connection with Bestinet
Investigations by Prothom Alo have unearthed a business relationship between Bestinet’s Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor and Ruhul Amin of Catharsis.
According to Bangladesh's Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC), Bestinet Malaysia registered in Bangladesh on 24 March 2014, establishing a company named Bestinet Bangladesh Limited. Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor served as the Chairman, and Ruhul Amin was the managing director.
Initially, Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor held 10,000 of the 12,000 shares in Bestinet Bangladesh Limited, while Ruhul Amin held 2,000 shares.
On 28 March 2019, Aminul transferred all his shares to Ruhul Amin, with Ruhul's brother Saiful Islam joining as a director. In 2022, the company name was changed to Catharsis Solutions Limited.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Ruhul Amin said there is no connection between the Malaysian Malaysian Bestinet and Bangladeshi Bestinet. This is a separate company. Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor left the partnership due to a lack of business prospects in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, on 28 May, SM Rafique, managing director of the recruiting agency United Export Limited, submitted a letter to the prime minister's office, raising allegations of laundering money to Malaysia.
According to the letter, Ruhul Amin, also known as Swapna, and his Malaysian partner Aminul Islam Bin Abdul Nor are the main masterminds of money laundering from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
Rafique told Prothom Alo that every agency involved in the scheme was required to deposit Tk 107,000 per worker at the Catharsis office.
Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), speaking to Prothom Alo, said employers in neighboring countries bear the cost of sending workers, Bangladesh's system is different. The government has allowed to happen this unabated.
He has termed this reprehensible and inhumane, saying there is a syndicate in Malaysaa and their representatives in Bangladesh.
Iftekharuzzaman said the ongoing issue is part of a larger illegal operation that exploits migrant workers and the state. Until those responsible are identified and punished, such operations are likely to continue.
**This article, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online editions, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam.