Home
+
Published : 11 Mar 2025, 09:44 PM
The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, has decided to prosecute 32 individuals from 12 recruiting agencies, including the wife and daughter of former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, for allegedly embezzling and laundering Tk 1.13 billion by overcharging workers through a syndicate to send them to Malaysia.
The agency's Director General (Prevention) Md Akhtar Hossain said they embezzled a substantial sum by charging 67,380 people “five times” the government-fixed amount of Tk 78,990.
The owners and high-ranking officials of the 12 recruiting agencies are being implicated in the case.
Along with Kamal, Feni-2 MP Nizamuddin Hazari, former Feni-3 MP Masud Uddin Chowdhury and Dhaka-20 MP Benjir Ahmed were found to be involved in the syndicate for sending labourers to Malaysia, ACC said.
An additional Tk 1.01 billion was allegedly collected from 6,029 expatriates through Orbital Enterprise.
Kashmiri Kamal, the wife of Kamal, is associated with the agency. Her husband has also been named as an accused in the case.
Another Tk 501.66 million was collected from 2,995 people through Orbital International, a company owned by Kamal's daughter, Nafisa Kamal.
The ACC accused Snigdha Overseas Limited of collecting another Tk 1.12 billion from 6,657 people.
In this case, the anti-graft agency is set to bring charges against Nizam Hazari, the company's owner, along with his wife Nurjahan Begum, and associates Sheikh Abdullah, Jahangir Alam, M Amirul Islam, Jasim Uddin, and Md Ziaur Rahman Bhuiyan.
Abdus Sobhan Bhuiyan, chairman of Cumilla’s Chauddagram Upazila, and his wife are also accused of collecting Tk 914.22 million from 5,458 people through recruiting agency Binimoy International.
The ACC has accused 5M International of collecting Tk 1.19 billion from 7,124 expatriates.
The ACC alleges that Unique Eastern Private Limited collected Tk 6.34 billion from 3,788 people. Its owner Nur Ali, along with his wife and daughter, Nasir Uddin Ahmed, and former secretary Khondaker Shawkat Hossain, are among the accused.
Mohammad Ruhul Amin and his wife are accused of embezzling Tk 1.3 billion from 7,787 people through Catharsis International Limited.
Former MP Benjir, owner of Ahmed International, accused of taking an additional Tk 1.44 billion from 8,592 people.
Former Dhaka North City Corporation councillor Shafiqul Islam and his wife are accused of embezzling Tk 1.36 billion from 8,093 expatriates through BM Travels Limited.
Jubo League leader Ishtiaq Ahmed Saikat and his wife, the owner of BNS Overseas Limited, are accused of misappropriating Tk 70.60 million from 4,215 expatriates.
The ACC has charged Muhammad Mojibul Haque Rubel and his wife with collecting Tk 476.54 million from 2,845 people through Rubel Bangladesh Limited.
Md Rubel and Borhan Uddin Panna are accused of receiving Tk 636 million from 3,797 expatriates through The Ifthi Overseas.
The ACC says each worker going to Malaysia was overcharged by Tk 167,500.
In 2018, Malaysia stopped taking labourers from Bangladesh for manpower due to various irregularities and syndicates.
On Dec 19, 2021, the country signed an agreement with Bangladesh to retake workers.
The government set a maximum fee of Tk 78,540 to enter the country on a worker visa in 2022.
Under an agreement between the Bangladeshi and Malaysian governments, 10 designated recruiting agencies used to send workers to the country until 2016.
However, in 2021, the two countries signed a new memorandum of understanding.
In that agreement, the number of recruiting agencies was increased to 100. But new syndicates were formed there too.
Out of the 100 agencies, syndicates of 20-25 agencies began to control the entire process of sending workers to Malaysia.
