Authorities must take action against recruitment agencies who bribed two Saudi diplomats

Editorial Desk :
A syndicate of seven Bangladeshi recruitment agencies reportedly sent Tk 154 crore to Saudi Arabia as bribe for two diplomats who used to work at the Saudi embassy in Dhaka. In return, a huge number of work visas were issued for Bangladeshi migration-seekers. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) recently revealed that the bribe money was sent through two money exchangers in the capital’s Gulshan and Banani.
Owners of the seven agencies and an organised gang used to invite the two Saudi nationals to a Gulshan hotel, give presents and arrange parties for them. In exchange, the Saudi embassy officials set a rule so that one recruiting agency cannot submit more than 20 visa applications in a week and an agency can submit applications only once a week but exempted the seven agencies from this rule. These seven were allowed to offer as many applications as they wanted. The embassy used to issue work visas against their applications when the two officials were working in Dhaka. Sources said the Saudi embassy in Dhaka started charging recruiting agencies $220 to $250 for every work visa about a year ago. The embassy stopped taking charge after the two Saudi diplomats returned to the gulf country after they were suspended two and a half months ago. The Saudi anti-corruption authority recently arrested the two. Bangladesh’s labour recruitment to Saudi Arabia surged phenomenally last year, with a total of 612,412 migrating to the country. In the first two months of this year, 85,319 migrated there. Interestingly, migrant remittance from the country, where some 20 lakh Bangladeshis work, declined over the last two quarters.
High-level diplomatic communication, compliance and mutual respect can uphold the dignity of the countries. We welcome Saudi authorities for taking stern action against their diplomats and ask the government to take exemplary punishment for the corrupt officials.