Reza Mahmud :
Experts emphasised that it is high time to return about Tk 30,000 crore of siphoned money which was illegally amassed from migrated workers.
Sources said, a certain syndicate has collected huge amount of money illegally from Malaysia bound workers in several phases and most of those have been siphoned abroad.
Stakeholders from the manpower exporting sector said about 4,76,000 workers have been exported to Malaysian after reopening the labour market in 2022 which was further closed in May 2024.
In this period, government fixed the migration cost as Tk 79,000 per worker while the syndicate has charged Tk 4 to 5 lakh per head.
As they charged many fold more amount then the government fixed fees from the workers, the proprietors and directors of the recruiting agencies obviously have not showed their real earnings when submitting income taxes to the national bureau (NBR).
So, that, the experts and the stakeholders said, those dishonest businessmen must siphoned a big amount of money abroad.
They said it is not only the period of 2022 and 2024 but before it, several times the Malaysian labour market was opened and numbers of workers were sent the country while such syndicates were active and
collected huge extra money from the workers then the government fixed.
Sources said, before closing the Malaysian market in 2018 after opening it in 2026 about 2,67,000 workers were sent to the country.As such, a total of 7,43,000 of the workers exported to the South-East Asian country in the two phases.
Members of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) alleged that Ruhul Amin Swapan, proprietor of Catharsis International and former Secretary General of BAIRA was the main person of the syndicate to recruit manpower for Malaysia.
At the first time after reopening the labour market, only 25 recruiting agencies were consisted in the syndicate.
Later, the number increased to 100 recruiting agencies depriving the rest of about 1600 licenses.
The other persons behind the syndicate were including, Salman F Rahman Advisor to former Prime Minister, Mostofa Kamal, (Lotus Kamal), former minister, Benazir Ahmed, former MP, Nizam Hazari, former MP, Lt: J: Masud Uddin Chowdhury, former MP, Alauddin Chowdhury Nasim, former MP, Kazi Mofizur Rahman, Kazi Air International, Abul Bashar, President, Baira and Presidium member Jubo League, Mohi Uddin Mohi – Former President Jubo League Dhaka South, Former Minister Imran Ahmed and Former Secretary Ahmed Munirs Salehin and many others.
Bangladeshi origin Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Bin Abdul Nor proprietor of Bestinet (BHD) in Malaysia was Ruhul Amin Sawpan’s partner in Kuala Lumpur and was the mastermind of the syndicate.
Besides, about 25 lakh workers were brought under medical check-up for sending Malaysia in the last phase from where Swapan collected Tk 3000 from per worker.
He also has taken Tk 1,07,000 special charge from per worker before sending Malaysia.
When contacted, Reaz-ul-Islam, Senior Vice Presiden of BAIRA and Proprietor of Reaz Overseas told The New Nation, “About Tk30,000 crore were laundered abroad from the manpower sector as the influential culprits amassed the money not only charging extra fees but also collecting extortions from recruiting agencies in the name of accommodating them in syndicates.”
The BAIRA leader said the interim government should take strict actions against those miscreants who are responsible to destroy the very important foreign currency earning sector.
Experts said as the influential people of the previous Hasina government was behind the syndicate, they was out of touch and unabatedly amassed money illegally sucking the labours.
They stressed on the present interim government should bring those dishonest people under legal action so that no one could form such syndicate in any labour market as it is the vital sector for the national economy.
When contacted, Shariful Islam Hasan, Associate Director of BRAC’s Migration and Youth Initiatives told The New Nation on Friday, “Dishonest people have amassed hundred of thousands taka from the Malaysia bound workers in the last two separate periods.
Most of those money have been siphoned abroad as those were black money.”
He said as the previous government failed to take any legal action against those culprits the interim government should take strict measures.
“I hope that a good portion of the laundered money could be brought back by catching those culprits in iron hand,” he said.
Contacted, BAIRA Joint-Secretary1 and Managing Partner
Human Resource Development Center Fakhrul Islam told The New Nation, “Ruhul Amin Swapan with the shelter of the then Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed was arranged the syndication system in Malaysian labour market depriving all the rest members of BAIRA.”
He said the syndicate collected and laundered about Tk8700 crore only from Malaysia bound workers.
He said government should strictly handle the issue and bring all of those offenders under legal action so that no one could try to do such crime in the labour markets again.