Government revokes 49 recruiter licences over Malaysia hiring irregularities

Four firms tied to former Awami League lawmakers lose licences as crackdown over alleged syndicates widens

The Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment has revoked the licences of 49 recruiting agencies over alleged syndication and irregularities in sending workers to Malaysia.

Of those, four are linked to former MPs of the ousted Awami League government.

The ministry issued an order on Sunday, saying the agencies were required to comply with the Overseas Employment and Migrants Act, 2013, its 2023 amendment and other relevant laws under their licence conditions.

It said chargesheets had already been accepted by courts against the agencies under different sections of the Penal Code, warranting licence cancellation under Section 13 of the 2013 law in the public interest.

Those affected include Orbitals Enterprise and Orbitals International, owned by the wife and daughter of former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Ahmed International of former Dhaka-20 MP Benzir Ahmed, Snigdha Overseas Ltd of former Feni-2 MP Nizam Uddin Hazari, and Five M International of former Jatiya Party MP and retired lieutenant general Masud Uddin Chowdhury.

The list also includes Noor Ali's Unique Eastern and Catharsis International, linked to Ruhul Amin, alias Swapan.

Malaysia halted recruitment from Bangladesh in 2018 over allegations of syndication before signing a fresh labour agreement in December 2021.

Although 100 agencies were later authorised, allegations emerged that only 20-25 controlled the market.

After the Awami League government's fall on Aug 5, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation into alleged corruption in Malaysia-bound recruitment.

According to the ACC, the agencies sent 267,276 workers to Malaysia and collected more than Tk 45.45 billion in excess fees by charging up to five times the government-approved recruitment cost.