103 including former MPs indicted in Malaysian labour market manipulation case

A case has been filed against 103 individuals, including a former minister, ministry secretary and a former MP, for their alleged involvement in a syndicate that exploited Bangladeshi workers seeking employment in Malaysia.

The case was filed at Paltan Police Station today by Altaf Khan, the owner of a recruiting agency, the duty officer of the police station Abdul Baten confirmed to TBS.

The accused, which include former expatriates' welfare minister Imran Ahmed and former senior secretary Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, are charged with embezzlement and human trafficking.

In addition to the minister and secretary, the case names former MP Nizam Uddin Hazari, Lieutenant General (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury, and Kashmiri Kamal and Nafisa Kamal, the wife, and daughter of former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, along with at least 100 recruiting agency owners.

The accused are alleged to have embezzled a staggering Tk24,000 crore.

Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation into the syndicate's activities.

The Malaysian government, through a memorandum of understanding in late 2021, selected only 100 recruiting agencies out of Bangladesh's 2,500 for worker recruitment, forming this alleged "syndicate."

Migration experts alleged that the corrupt syndicate lobbied in both Bangladesh and Malaysia to sign the agreement, enabling them to charge exorbitant fees to migrant workers.

The selected agencies charged Malaysia-bound workers about Tk4.5-6 lakh, while the expatriate welfare and the overseas employment ministry fixed the rate at Tk79,000.

Notably, Malaysian authorities halted the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers in May of this year.