10 agents under ACC scanner 'for Tk 55b scam' in sending workers to KL

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has started an investigation into the reported misappropriation of Tk 55 billion by 10 recruiting agencies for sending workers to Malaysia, ACC officials said.

Taking complaints against 10 recruiting agencies into consideration, the anti-graft watchdog has assigned its assistant director Md Shafiullah to carry out the investigation.

Analysing records and complaints, the ACC has primarily found the allegations authentic, confirmed the officials.

The top officials at the ACC declined to be quoted, but said the irregularities took place would be investigated. The assets and source of income of those who are involved in the recruitment process will also be investigated, they added.

It is alleged a syndicate of 10 private recruiting agencies sent workers in a monopoly to the Southeast Asian country. The syndicate is also comprised of influential people in Bangladesh and Malaysia.

On 14 August, at a meeting of special committee on foreign workers’ management in parliament, new prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir Muhammad decided a halt in hiring workers from Bangladesh since 1 September.

Mahathir then said his government would open up the recruitment of workers from Bangladesh to all agencies, New Straits Times of Malaysia reported.

Following Kuala Lumpur's move to suspend recruitment of Bangladeshi workers from 1 September, expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Nurul Islam said he would serve show-cause notices to 10 private recruiting agencies that once enjoyed monopoly in sending workers to Malaysia.

In February of 2016, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Bangladesh and Malaysia to hire workers from Bangladesh under a G2G plus system as the state-level labour recruiting arrangement G2G remained ineffective since the deal was signed in November 2012.

Under the new agreement, the recruitment to Malaysian labour market started in 2017. About 200,000 workers have so far migrated to Malaysia to join work.

The recruiting agents are supposed to charge Tk 37,000 as migration cost from each worker but they reportedly collected Tk 300,000 to 400,000.

In the process, the recruiters allegedly misappropriated Tk 55 billion.

Bangladeshi origin Malaysian citizen Mohammad Amin Bin Abdun Noor is being thought as the mastermind of the syndicate.

In collusion with Malaysian politicians and former bureaucrats, Noor established a company named Synerflux. The then corruption-ridden Malaysian authorities mysteriously allowed Synerflux to recruit workers from 10 recruiting agencies in Bangladesh, according to the ACC officials.

The 10 agencies are: Unique Eastern, Carrier Overseas, Catharsis International, HSMT Human Resource, Sanjary International, Rabby International, Passage Associates, Amin Tours and Travels, Prantik Travels and Tourism and Al Islam Overseas.

Unique Eastern’s proprietor Md Noor Ali is the former president of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA). Passage Associates’ owner Arif Alam is a brother-in-law of a minister. The owner of Catharsis International is Ruhul Amin, BAIRA’s outgoing secretary general. Rabbi International’s owner Mohammad Bashir is social welfare secretary of BAIRA.

The owner of Prantik Travels and Tourism is Md Golam Mustafa, a former president of BAIRA. Ex-Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) president, who is now a top leader of Dhaka South Juba League, is also connected with him. 

The owner of Sanjari International is Sheikh Abdullah. A minister and an ex-protocol officer of the prime minister are also connected with him, said the officials.

The owner of Carrier Overseas is Ruhul Amin and his three brothers. A minister and an editor of an online news portal are also connected with Carrier Overseas, they added.

The owner of Al Islam Overseas is Joynal Abedin Zafar. He is a director of Padma Life Insurance. The director of HSMT Human Resources is Tuhin Siddique.

The owner of Amin Tours and Travels is Md Ruhul Amin.

*This report is rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam