Photo: Collected
About 3,500 crore taka have been laundered under the guise of sending workers to Malaysia. Ruhul Amin Swapan of Catharsis International Limited (RL-549) and his Malaysian partner Md Amin Noor are involved in this money laundering scheme. The Prime Minister's Office, along with the ACC Chairman, National Human Rights Commission Chairman, Home Minister, Foreign Minister, and State Minister for Expatriate Welfare, have been informed in writing about this issue.
According to sources from the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare, the investigation committee formed to address why a large number of workers failed to go to Malaysia will also look into the money laundering allegations. If the investigation confirms these allegations, the committee will recommend taking action against those involved. In that case, the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) or CID (Criminal Investigation Department) will file a case and take necessary legal action.
Additional Director General of the Bangladesh Manpower Export Bureau, Shah Abdul Tariq, stated that since the complaint has been made, it may also come under investigation. "We are investigating the matter in detail," he said. "We are looking into why a large number of workers could not go, who was negligent, and whether there was any negligence on the part of the agency."
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) Joint Secretary General Fakhrul Islam said, "We have always been against the syndicate for sending workers to Malaysia, and we are still against it. We have lost the Malaysian labour market because of this syndicate. While it costs 2-3 thousand RMB to travel from Nepal to Malaysia, this syndicate has charged 20-30 thousand RMB. Still, about 30,000 workers could not go even after paying 5-6 lakh."
He emphasized that since complaints have been filed with the Prime Minister's Office, Home Minister, and ACC, government agencies should identify who prevented these workers from going to Malaysia and who laundered this huge amount of money. "We demand that action be taken against this syndicate through a proper investigation," he added.
It is known that the Managing Director of United Export Limited, SM Rafiq, has brought forward the allegation that 3,500 crore taka have been smuggled under the guise of sending manpower from Bangladesh to Malaysia. He sought the Prime Minister's intervention through an official letter from his organisation.
According to the complaint sent to the Prime Minister's Office, more than Tk 4 lakh to Tk 5.5 lakh has been collected from each worker to send them to Malaysia. The complaint also noted that if there were no syndicate in Bangladesh, 100,000 workers could have been sent to Malaysia free of cost, similar to Nepal. This would have significantly benefited the country's revenue sector.
The indictment portrays Ruhul Amin Swapan of Catharsis International Limited (RL-549) and his Malaysian partner Md. Amin Noor as key figures in this syndicate. It is alleged that they have illegally smuggled approximately 344 million dollars from Bangladesh to Malaysia. Their godfathers are reportedly based in London and Canada.
The complaint further alleges that more than 200,000 workers were employed in Malaysia free of cost, while Bangladeshi workers were deprived of free travel to Malaysia. The syndicate did not even consider waiving the syndicate subscription in this particular case. Although some laborers were sent to Malaysia free of cost, they were hired by paying the syndicates.
The complaint also mentions that, in the last two instances, nearly 200,000 expatriates from Bangladesh were sent to Malaysia for the entertainment of Malaysian godfathers and to satisfy their lust for illegal money. Due to the inaction of relevant authorities, legitimate domestic recruiting agencies have suffered economic losses, and the government has faced defamation. The roots of these syndicates are so strong that none of the country's intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies dare to investigate. They have effectively made the syndicate system and their crimes the de facto law of the land.
The complaint states that over the past century, the government has implemented policies to send workers abroad to Malaysia twice. However, these workers have been exploited through labour market syndicates, tarnishing the government's reputation and extorting high rates from innocent workers. The ongoing foreign exchange market of the country has been drained, with billions of dollars being laundered out of the country. By smuggling cash abroad and bankrupting the domestic currency market, a few individuals have monopolised the labour markets.
It is said that Writ Petition No. 15359/2016 was filed against the syndicates on the last day. The syndicates initially pressured me, citing the need to respect the government's decision, and then forced me to withdraw the writ petition through abduction.
Managing Director of United Export Limited, SM Rafiq, stated, "The people of the whole country know that there has been chaos in the name of sending laborers to Malaysia. I dare to complain against them." He further asserted, "This syndicate has smuggled about 3,500 crore taka. If action is not taken against these smugglers, people will lose respect for the law."
Meanwhile, the president of Baira, Mohammad Abul Bashar, raised a question saying, "Why has this complaint not been made so far? Surely, he had some interest."
Messenger/Disha
