51 agencies charged over alleged M'sia-Bangladesh labour syndicate

A total of 51 private recruitment agencies in Bangladesh involved in sending workers to Malaysia have been charged in the Dhaka High Court over allegations linked to a scheme involving irregularities in the supply of foreign labour to the Malaysian market.

According to official documents sighted by Malaysiakini, the charges were filed on June 16.

Among those charged are former Bangladesh minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment Imran Ahmed and several MPs.

Contacted by Malaysiakini, Md Rafiqul Islam, lawyer for the complainant, businessperson Altab Khan, confirmed the matter.

“Our client filed this case in the interest of justice for workers and to curb the outflow of illicit funds. We confirm that proceedings under the Penal Code will continue to seek accountability from those involved.

“All 51 agencies and individuals involved will face serious criminal trials under the Penal Code 1860 for offences including cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal intimidation and large-scale financial extortion,” he said.

He said they would be tried under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), Sections 385/386 (extortion and putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), and Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

High-profile individuals expected to stand trial include senior politician Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, Md Kawsar Mridha, retired lieutenant general Masud Uddin Chowdhury and Golam Mostafa.

Malaysiakini’s attempts since Thursday to obtain responses from Imran, Hasan Ahmed, Kawsar, Masud and Golam were unsuccessful. Malaysiakini also contacted the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur for comment.

Meanwhile, the Cyber and Special Crime Investigation Division (DB) of Dhaka Police, in a report dated May 22, recommended that all charges under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012 against the 103 individuals and agencies previously named be dropped.

Investigating officer Md Raihanur Rahman said the investigation found that the recruitment process had been carried out legally with the approval of Bangladesh’s Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET).

Workers were also found to have received their wages regularly, which, he said, negated elements of physical exploitation under the Act.

However, the complainant described the police decision as illogical.

“Out of the 103 agencies, 51 have been charged with irregularities in the supply of foreign labour, yet all charges under the Human Trafficking Act 2012 have been dropped.

“I do not understand how the investigating officer could recommend dropping the trafficking charges and granting relief under that Act to all the accused. The investigating officer never discussed anything with me. In fact, I was never called to give a statement,” he added.

Altab said he no longer trusts the police investigation and his main focus is to stop millions from flowing out of the country through deceptive recruitment practices and to ensure a fair trial.

According to him, his lawyers are preparing a petition of objection (a no-confidence application) to challenge the dropping of the trafficking charges in court.

Origins of the dispute

The issue stems from a worker recruitment mechanism created under a previous agreement between the Malaysian and Bangladeshi governments.

Under the system, only 103 Bangladeshi Recruitment Agencies (103 BRA) were appointed to manage the deployment of workers to Malaysia. The appointment of the 103 agencies, however, drew criticism from various quarters.

Many, including former workers, Malaysian politicians, and NGOs, alleged that the arrangement created a monopoly that ultimately gave rise to a labour syndicate.

In September 2024, Altab lodged a police report against the 103 agencies and several Malaysians allegedly linked to the monopoly.

The core allegation in the report was that a syndicate had been established under the guise of worker recruitment, extorting millions of ringgit from the public, holding people hostage abroad, imposing excessive migration charges and subjecting workers to severe exploitation and suffering.

In the report, Altab, owner of Afia Overseas, alleged that he was forced to pay an additional BDT150,000 (about RM6,000) per worker - which he described as a bribe - to process visas through favoured agencies.

The amount far exceeded the official fee set by both governments, BDT78,990.

Because of threats to his business, Altab said he paid BDT12.56 crore (about RM51 million) to process the deployment of 841 workers between November 2022 and May 2024.

The case previously triggered diplomatic controversy.

As reported by Malaysiakini in an earlier investigative series, the Malaysian government, through the Human Resources Ministry, had sent an official letter to Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry requesting that investigations into the alleged syndicate be halted.

Putrajaya said at the time that most of the allegations involving human trafficking and money laundering were unfounded and expressed concern that the probe could affect Malaysia’s reputation and disrupt the entry process for foreign workers.

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