Licences of 49 recruiting agencies revoked

The government has withdrawn the licences of 49 recruiting agencies, including those owned by four former Awami League lawmakers and one by a Jatiya Party lawmaker, for their alleged involvement in a syndicate that exploited the Malaysia labour market and misappropriated money.

As charge sheet against these agencies in a human trafficking case filed with Paltan police station over allegations of embezzling large sums of money by making syndicate and charging excessive fees from workers sent to Malaysia been accepted by the court, the Monitoring Section of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment issued a gazette notification on Sunday announcing the withdrawal of their licences.

The notification said that, under the terms and conditions of their licences, recruiting agencies are required to comply with the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013, the Overseas Employment and Migrants (Amendment) Act, 2023, and other relevant laws and regulations.

The development has emerged nearly a month after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s maiden overseas trip to Malaysia where he discussed the reopening of the labour market of the Southeast Asian country for Bangladeshis.

Former Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, raised question regarding the logic behind the ministry’s decision.

“Total 100 agencies were involved in sending workers to Malaysia. Then how were the licenses of 49 agencies revoked? If any wrongdoing took place, everyone should be held responsible,” he told the Daily Sun.

“I do not know how licenses can be revoked in this manner before the final disposal of a case through the court based on the allegations,” Noman, also the owner of Sadia International, one of the agencies whose license was revoked, added.

Asked about the criterion considered in revoking licenses, Md Nazmul Islam Sarker, director (deputy secretary) of the Monitoring and Enforcement Section wing of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), didn’t want to make any comment.

A senior official of the BMET, claiming not to be named, however, said they found the charge sheet enough to take action against these agencies.

“We haven’t cancelled their licenses. We have only withdrawn those as the court has accepted charge sheet. If the court convicts these agencies, we will cancel their licenses permanently,” the official said. 

Charge sheets have been filed and accepted by the court against the agencies whose licences were revoked under Sections 406, 420, 385, 386, 427 and 34 of the Penal Code, 1860, the ministry mentioned in its gazette notification, saying that their licenses have been revoked in accordance with the migration law.

Among the agencies whose licences have been cancelled are Orbitals Enterprise and Orbital International, owned by the wife and daughter of former Awami League finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal. 

The list also includes Ahmed International owned by Dhaka-20 constituency lawmaker Benazir Ahmed, Snigdha Overseas Limited owned by former Feni-2 constituency lawmaker Nizam Uddin Hazari, and Five M International owned by former Feni-3 constituency lawmaker Lieutenant General (retd) Masud Uddin Chowdhury.

The cancelled agencies also include Unique Eastern Private Limited, a unit of influential manpower businessman Noor Ali, and Catharsis International, owned by Ruhul Amin alias Swapan, who was identified as one of the key members of the Malaysia labour market syndicate.

Sources at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said licenses for these agencies were issued at different times, with some dating back several decades. 

A license is cancelled for violating its terms and conditions,while it is revoked in cases of serious offences or threats to national security. In such cases, agencies seeking to regain their licenses may have to pursue legal proceedings.

The cancelled agencies also include Shaheen Travels, Irving Enterprise, Haidari Trade International, Rabbi International, Zahrat Associates, Four Sight International Ltd, Binimoy International, Akash Bhramon Ltd, QK Quick Express Ltd, United Export Ltd, GMG Trading (Pvt) Ltd, Sadia International, The Super Eastern Ltd, Elegants Overseas Ltd, Midway Overseas Ltd, Madina Overseas, Al-Khamis International, New Age International, Dahmashi Corporation Ltd, Galaxy Corporation and Sultan Overseas. 

Licenses of Probhati International, Manispower Corporation, Amin Tours and Travels, ISMT Human Resource Development Ltd, Darbar Global Overseas, Natasha Overseas, Aparajita Overseas, Stanford Employment Pvt Ltd, Jannat Overseas, BM Travels Ltd, BNS Overseas Ltd, Rubel Bangladesh Ltd, Trans Asia Integrated Services Ltd, Al Farah Human Resources and Consultancy, Brothers International, Thanex International Ltd, GG Al Falah Management, Imperial Resources Ltd, PR Overseas Ltd, MEF Global Bangladesh Ltd, and Anannya Apurba Recruiting Agency have also been revoked.

Migration sector stakeholders have appreciated the acceptance of charge sheet by the court and government’s decision of revoking license.

“None of us wants syndication in the labour market. But syndicate exists and recruiting agencies involved in it are never punished. From this sense it is good to see that the court has accepted charge sheet and the ministry has revoked license. But the government must be aware of any probable attempt of forming new syndicates. Only then this initiative will bring fruitful result,” Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP) Chairperson Shakirul Islam told the Daily Sun.

When Malaysia reopened its labour market in July 2022 after nearly four years of suspension, the Malaysian government was entrusted with selecting the recruiting agencies authorised to send workers. 

The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment had submitted a list of 1,520 recruiting agencies to the Malaysian authorities.

But only a limited number of agencies were granted that opportunity as part of an alleged syndicate. Initially, only 25 agencies got the opportunity, but it was later expanded in three phases to include 100 agencies. Allegations have been made that substantial sums of money were collected from agencies seeking inclusion in the syndicate.

In addition to agencies owned by former lawmakers, agencies linked to Awami League leaders, city corporation councillors and many newly established recruiting firms also entered the syndicate and sent large numbers of workers to Malaysia.

Although the government had fixed the maximum migration cost to Malaysia at Tk78,990, the average Bangladeshi worker reportedly spent around Tk544,000 to secure employment there, said a report published by the United Nations.

According to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), over a period of one and a half years, nearly 450,000 workers were sent to Malaysia, generating business worth about Tk240 billion (Tk24,000 crore) in the sector.

Amid widespread allegations of irregularities and misconduct involving the syndicate, the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia was suspended in June 2024. Despite several rounds of talks between the two countries since then, the labour market has yet to reopen.