Malaysia scam: HC enquires about action against recruiting agencies for failure to expatriate over 17,000 workers
The High Court directed the secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and other relevant authorities to submit a report on the matter by 27 August
Highlights
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Authorities asked to report by 27 August on refunds and deployment progress.
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Court earlier questioned why affected workers' money shouldn't be returned with interest.
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Around 17,777 workers missed the deadline as agencies failed to provide tickets.
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On 24 June last year, HC issued rule asking why the authorities' negligence and inaction should not be declared illegal.
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The High Court (HC) has asked the government to clarify what actions have been taken against recruiting agencies responsible for the failure to send 17,777 workers to Malaysia.
The court also enquired whether the affected workers, who had completed all necessary procedures but were ultimately unable to travel, have been refunded their money and what progress has been made regarding their potential deployment to Malaysia.
The High Court directed the secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and other relevant authorities to submit a report on the matter by 27 August.
The directive came today (27 April) during a hearing in which the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare reported to the High Court that recruiting agencies were responsible for the failure to send the 17,777 workers.
The High Court bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf issued the order.
The case stems from a public interest writ petition filed after the Malaysia labour recruitment scandal.
On 24 June last year, the High Court issued a rule asking why the authorities' negligence and inaction, which devastated the lives of the victims, should not be declared illegal.
The court also questioned why the authorities should not be ordered to refund the affected 17,777 workers with interest.
Additionally, the authorities were instructed to submit update reports every three months regarding developments in the case.
Lawyers Md Tanvir Ahmed and Biplob Kumar Poddar represented the petitioners during the hearing.
Since reopening the labour market in August 2022, Malaysia had allocated a quota of over 532,000 for Bangladeshi workers.
Out of this, 476,000 workers reached their destination in 2024.
However, around 17,777 workers could not fly as the recruiting agencies failed to provide tickets before the 31 May deadline set by Malaysia.
