Staff Reporter :
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against Saidul Islam, system analyst and Saiful Islam, assistant cum computer operator of Manpower, Employment and Training Bureau (BMET) for illegally creating about 4,000 smart cards containing immigration certificates for workers to the United Arab Emirates.
On Tuesday, ACC Assistant Director Ranjit Kumar Karmkar filed the case at the agency’s integrated district office Dhaka-1. A senior ACC source confirmed the matter.
According to the statement, the number of exit clearances received by recruiting agencies at various times since January 2022 and the number of exit clearances issued in groups for the UAE in the clearance report mentioned on BMET’s website have been observed by ACC.
Many numbers have been reduced by editing, deletion and attempts to match the number of employment permits issued by the ministry have been found.
The ACC officials verified the number of pay orders and challans and smart issues of welfare fees and other fees and income tax received on a daily basis in BMET’s Immigration Management System Software Exit Branch.
On verification, it found that the number of smart cards actually issued on a daily basis is much more than the number of smart cards issued to the group in the clearance report mentioned in the BMET software of the recruiting agencies mentioned in the complaint letter.
According to the ACC investigation, the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment approved the number of employment permits in the name of 8 recruiting agencies from January 1, 2020 to May 12, 2022 is 2 thousand 960.
But 6 thousand 938 smart cards have been issued from BMET’s immigration management system software. That is, additional 3 thousand 978 smart cards BMET have been issued illegally. With which BMET’s system analyst and the rest of the accused were found to be related.
The accused have been charged under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 and Section 109 of the Penal Code. The accused have benefited financially by illegally issuing an additional 3,978 smart BMETs, the statement of the case said.
According to the statement, the normal rule for issuance of exit permit from BMET is that after the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment gives permission to hire workers abroad, its copy will go to the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET). As per the approval of the Ministry, the number of authorized personnel is entered in BMET’s immigration management software. The recruiting agency then applies for exit clearance. The application form has to be presented in documents and approval of the appropriate authorities. After entry, permits are automatically generated according to the number of workers
The data entry is sent to the branch with the signature of the Desk Assistant and Assistant Director. Data entry of these employees is given in the software of that branch. The number of workers mentioned in the right number can be entered in the permit number, not more than that. After entering the employee information, the card is printed from the smart card printing branch. Any corrections, additions, changes or enhancements required in this process can only be done by the System Analyst of the IT Branch; No one else has the ability or admin power to do anything about it.