Five sued over embezzling Tk310cr in sending workers to Malaysia

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed four cases against five individuals from many recruiting agencies on charges of embezzling Tk310.93 crore by overcharging workers seeking jobs in Malaysia.

According to ACC Director General (Prevention) Md Akhter Hossain, the accused formed a syndicate that took five times the government-fixed recruitment cost of Tk78,990 from a total of 18,563 workers, laundering the excess amount. 

The cases were filed today (11 November) at the ACC's Integrated District Office, Dhaka-1, by ACC Assistant Director Minhaz Bin Islam.

Accused in the four cases include: Farida Banu, owner of Celebrity International Ltd, and its Managing Director Abdul Hai allegedly collected an additional Tk58.39 crore from 3,486 workers while Biswajit Saha, owner of Aditi International, is accused of charging Tk64.52 crore extra from 3,852 workers.

Besides, Mohammad Bashir, owner of Rabbi International, allegedly took Tk52.72 crore in excess fees from 3,148 workers and Hafizul Bari Mohammad Lutfor Rahman, owner of RR Ving Enterprise, is accused of embezzling Tk135.28 crore by overcharging 8,077 workers.

More cases linked to Malaysia recruitment

On 6 November, the ACC lodged a case against 11 individuals for embezzling Tk525 crore in Malaysia-bound recruitment.

 Earlier, on 11 March, the watchdog sued 32 people for misappropriating Tk1,128 crore, and on 14 September filed another case against senior officials of 13 recruiting agencies over Tk1,159 crore in alleged embezzlement.

Malaysia halted recruitment from Bangladesh in 2018 due to widespread irregularities and syndicate activities.

Labour hiring resumed after both countries signed a new agreement on 19 December 2021.