ACC to sue 60 recruiting agencies over Tk4,500cr embezzlement in Malaysia labour recruitment

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to file cases against 124 owners and officials of 60 recruiting agencies over the alleged embezzlement and laundering of Tk4,545 crore by charging migrant workers higher than several times the government-approved cost for employment in Malaysia.

ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhtar Hossain confirmed the development to reporters at the commission headquarters today (10 December).

According to the ACC, the accused fraudulently collected a total of Tk4,545.20 crore from 2.67 lakh aspiring migrant workers. Investigators found evidence of severe irregularities in the Malaysia recruitment process, including extreme overcharging, violation of agreements, and money laundering.

Findings from the inquiry report state that owners, chairmen, managing directors, directors, and other officials of 60 agencies formed a syndicate during their tenure in various positions within the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira). They allegedly abused their influence and authority to inflate recruitment costs many times beyond the government-set fee.

Under official rules, a worker's total cost for migrating to Malaysia was supposed to be Tk78,990. But investigators say the accused leveraged political connections and Baira's internal power networks to raise expenses multiple times over that amount, bypassing worker-selection protocols, financial procedures, and contractual conditions.

Earlier, 40 separate cases had already been filed against 108 individuals from 40 overseas companies for allegedly embezzling Tk3,438.94 crore in a similar manner. Those cases are currently under investigation.

With the new filings, the total number of cases in the Malaysia recruitment scam reaches 100, involving 232 accused and an estimated embezzled amount of Tk7,984 crore.