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Published : 10 Nov 2024, 10:28 PM
Malaysia has sought clarification from Bangladesh regarding its request to extradite two businessmen involved in an ongoing investigation.
Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the country will consider extradition only after Bangladesh clarifies the purpose of the return, according to a report by Free Malaysia Today.
The two men in question are Aminul Islam bin Amin Nur, a Malaysian national of Bangladeshi descent and the founder of Bestinet Sdn Bhd, and Ruhul Amin Swapan, the owner of a Bangladeshi recruiting agency named Catharsis International.
Both are facing allegations related to money laundering, extortion, and human trafficking, linked to their involvement in a recruitment syndicate that allegedly exploited migrant workers for financial gain.
On Oct 24, Bangladesh Police formally requested Malaysia to return the two men for questioning as part of the investigation.
In a letter dated Oct 24, Bangladesh’s Interpol branch told its Malaysian counterpart that the duo had allegedly exposed their victims to physical and mental torture, and played a vital role in a system that fraudulently extorted money from the victims.
However, both Aminul and Ruhul have denied the accusations.
Malaysian home minister told Free Malaysia Today, “Dhaka should explain whether Aminul and Ruhul were merely needed for questioning as part of an investigation or if they were to be charged in court.”
He added that the extradition request did not reveal the purpose.
Saifuddin said, “We need to clarify the objective first. If the objective is for Dhaka to conduct investigations, then they should use the mutual legal assistance channel for that.”
“If Dhaka’s purpose is to charge these individuals in court, then they should say that is the purpose of the extradition,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
The Malaysian minister said the duo can only be extradited if Dhaka is pressing charges against them.
He added that he had discussed Bangladesh’s extradition request with the attorney-general and inspector-general of police for their feedback on the matter.
“I believe the IGP will handle this and liaise with his Bangladeshi counterpart,” said Saifuddin.
Bloomberg had reported that Bangladeshi police had written to Putrajaya requesting the arrest and extradition of the pair to facilitate their probe into alleged money laundering, extortion and trafficking of migrant workers.
