Malaysia seeks clarification from Bangladesh on extradition request for 2 businessmen

The Malaysian government has requested clarification from Bangladesh regarding its extradition request for two businessmen, Bestinet Sdn Bhd founder Aminul Islam and his associate Ruhul Amin, reports Free Malaysia Today. 

Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Bangladesh should specify whether the purpose of the extradition is to question Aminul and Ruhul as part of an investigation or to formally charge them in court.

"The extradition request did not reveal the purpose," he said.

"We need to clarify the objective first. If the objective is for Dhaka to conduct investigations, then they should use the mutual legal assistance channel for that. If Dhaka's purpose is to charge these individuals in court, then they should say that is the purpose of the extradition," he added. 

He further noted that the duo could only be extradited if charges were being filed against them.

Saifuddin mentioned that he had consulted with Malaysia's attorney-general (AG) and inspector-general of police (IGP) on the matter.

"I believe the IGP will handle this and liaise with his Bangladeshi counterpart," he added.

According to a Bloomberg report, Bangladeshi police had formally requested the arrest and extradition of the two men to support their investigation into alleged money laundering, extortion, and migrant worker trafficking.

A letter dated 24 October from Bangladesh's Interpol branch informed the Malaysian authorities that the two businessmen allegedly subjected victims to "physical and mental abuse" and played a key role in a "fraudulent system that extorted money" from them.

Aminul, originally from Bangladesh but now a Malaysian citizen, and Ruhul, the owner of Dhaka-based recruitment firm Catharsis International, have denied these allegations. 

Bangladeshi authorities also urged Malaysia to temporarily suspend the use of the software provided by Bestinet.

Bestinet, recently granted a six-year contract by Malaysia's home ministry to develop and maintain the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS), has been under scrutiny. 

In July, the Public Accounts Committee reported that 24 unauthorised users had accessed FWCMS to approve foreign worker applications.

Additionally, the 2022 Auditor-General's report found no formal agreement between the Malaysian government and Bestinet for supplying the system.