Billions defrauded during worker deployment to Malaysia: Bangladesh investigation

The Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating the assets of recruitment agency owners and affiliated individuals alleged to have collected billions of takas in illegal funds under the pretext of sending workers to Malaysia. As part of the investigation into the lawsuits filed to date, official notices requesting asset declarations have been sent to 232 individuals linked to 100 recruitment agencies. A senior official from the commission's investigative unit confirmed this information, highlighting the scale of the process. This step was taken following allegations that approximately 8 thousand crore takas were embezzled by collecting many times over the government-approved expenses from workers heading to Malaysia. This comprehensive asset declaration is being requested to verify the source and legitimacy of the defendants' assets.

Malaysia has long maintained its position as one of the largest and most significant labor markets for Bangladeshi workers. However, continuous and serious allegations have repeatedly surfaced claiming that a limited number of recruitment agencies formed a monopoly around this market and manipulated the process for their own interests. Particularly after the reopening of the labor market in 2021, it was alleged that a powerful and profit-driven syndicate became active in the worker deployment process. Investigations revealed that the Malaysian government never mandated working with a specific number of agencies for worker recruitment. Despite this, the centralization of the process among a limited number of agencies on the Bangladesh side eliminated competition and excessively increased the financial burden of expenses on the workers.

Government officials had fixed the official cost for a worker to go to Malaysia at 79 thousand takas. However, in reality, many workers were forced to pay astronomical amounts ranging from 450 thousand to 500 thousand takas, blatantly ignoring this legal limit. Allegedly, a significant portion of this extortionate and illegal money collected from workers went directly into the pockets of the members of this monopolistic syndicate. According to official statements by the ACC, the total amount of excess money collected from workers over the four-year period from 2021 to 2024 reached exactly 8 thousand crore takas. It is over the allegation of embezzling this massive amount of money that a total of lawsuits were filed in different phases and on various dates between March and November of last year.

In these cases, a total of 232 individuals, including the owners and managers of 100 recruitment agencies and their affiliates, have been officially named as defendants. Among the defendants are prominent figures, including the former president of BAIRA (Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies) Benazir Ahmed, businessman Ruhul Amin Swapn, former Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, his wife Kashmiri Kamal, daughter Nafisa Kamal, and former members of parliament Masud Uddin and Nizam Uddin Hazari. Following the public uprising in 2024 and the subsequent fall of the Awami League government, these irregularities and massive corruption allegations in the Malaysian labor market were brought back to the agenda. Consequently, the interim government decided to investigate the matter thoroughly, and the ACC established five separate investigation teams to look into the events.

Officials conducting the investigation stated that the next phase of the cases focuses on the detailed verification of the defendants' assets. In this context, real estate and movable properties registered under the defendants' names, bank accounts, shares, commercial investments, and any assets potentially hidden under family members' names will be meticulously examined. ACC sources also emphasized whether the defendants' income tax records and previously declared incomes align with their current wealth. If no legal and legitimate source for any asset can be found, these properties will be considered illicit earnings, and necessary legal actions will be initiated. Commission Deputy Chairman Aktarul Islam confirmed that approximately one hundred cases were filed last year regarding the allegation of collecting excess money under the pretext of sending workers to Malaysia, and that official notices requesting asset declarations as part of the investigation into these cases have been sent to the defendants.