According to a diplomatic source in Malaysia, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) raided the Kuala Lumpur office of Bestinet and interrogated Malaysian syndicate mastermind Amin multiple times on Tuesday to determine his role in selecting 25 Bangladeshi recruiting agencies for hiring workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia.

According to reports, SPRM officers also arrested several Bestinet personnel in Kuala Lumpur for their alleged involvement in syndication in the recruitment of employees from Bangladesh to Malaysia.

Later that day, SPRM representatives traveled to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. They inquired about the participation of the Bangladesh High Commission in selecting the 25 organizations. In addition, the anti-corruption officials wanted to examine the criteria used to identify the 25 agencies in question.

In addition, the anti-corruption officials questioned the Bangladesh High Commission official regarding the existence of official paperwork of the 25 recruiters.

Contacted Imran Ahmad, minister of expatriates' welfare and abroad employment, categorically dismissed the 25-member syndicate, stating that Bangladesh had not provided Malaysia with a list of 25 members.

"We have sent Malaysia a list of 1,520 recruiters. I do not know who or how the list was compiled," Imran told reporters on Tuesday.

Md Nazmus Sadat Salim, minister of labor at the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia, said in The Business Post that SPRM representatives had visited the High Commission.

"They wanted to know if we had sent the list of 25 agencies to the Malaysian human resources minister in a letter. We stated we offered a list of more than 1,500 organizations. We also said that we have no role in selecting the 25 agencies."

Some Bangladeshi agencies have already gathered the passports of aspiring migrants in response to the situation in Malaysia. Some medical centers have also begun conducting medical examinations on migrants violating government directives. In addition, they overcharge immigrants for the tests.

Datuk Amin interrogated

During the Bestinent office raid, SPRM officers questioned Datuk Seri Mohd Amin Bin Abdul Nor in stages regarding his role in picking the 25 Bangladeshi agencies.

They also inquired about his relationship with the Malaysian Minister of Human Resources, Saravanan Murugan. They desired to know the selection criteria for the 25 agencies.

He did not explain his position in these matters and did not provide any supporting documentation.

According to sources, the SPRM had placed Datuk Amin under surveillance, and he may also be arrested.

Why was Swapan not questioned?

According to industry sources, Datuk Amin and his Bangladeshi partner Ruhul Amin Swapan, owner of Catahrsis International, are involved in the entire process of sending workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia, including the formation of the 25-member syndicate and the organization of illegal medical exams.

Catahrsis International is a member of the consortium

Leaders of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) have urged that Swapan also be questioned.

"Japan and Amin have accomplished everything jointly. As the SPRM has questioned Amin, the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bangladesh should also question Swapan, according to a former BAIRA leader.

Nobody was able to disclose 25 agency selection criteria

Bestinet, the Malaysian ministry of human resources, the Bangladeshi government, and the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia could not reveal how the 25 agencies were chosen.

The Malaysian minister of human resources visited Bangladesh on June 2 and stated that the 25 agencies were picked using automation.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia stated that it was not involved in the selection of the agencies and was unaware of the process.

Imran Ahmad, Bangladesh's Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment told The Business Post on June 16 that he had not approved the 25 agencies and was unaware of the selection procedure.

Several Bangladeshi agencies recently disclosed to The Business Post that the Bestinet website formerly had the names of the 25 agencies but that they were subsequently erased.

Medical test

Contrary to government directives, several medical facilities in Bangladesh are conducting illegal health examinations on migrants intending to travel to Malaysia.

Tuesday's visit to Global Medicare Diagnostics Limited in Banani, the capital, revealed that thousands of potential migrants were awaiting medical examinations. They paid with cash at the cash registers.

A few even waited on the sidewalk outside due to the number of people inside.

When he approached the counter, Md Sukur Ali was asked to pay Tk 7,000. He paid the appropriate amount.

Approximately one thousand individuals awaited the invitation to enter for the checkup. They were clutching documents indicating their intent to migrate to Malaysia.

Md Sabuj, who claimed to be in charge of the medical center, stated to The Business Post, "We do not conduct any medical examinations in Malaysia."

When asked why everyone clutches slips that stated Malaysia, he responded, "We are conducting pre-medical examinations."

He declined to comment when asked if there might be other examinations in the future.

Another visit to Gulshan Medicare in Gulshan revealed a similar issue. Those present stated they would be screened before entering Malaysia.

Six individuals from the Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila gathered for examinations. One of them, Sumon, stated, "I do not know how much they will charge me for the examination."

"I have no idea how much it will cost to travel to Malaysia. My passport was taken 15 days ago by a middleman named Nasir, who told me that the migration fees will be disclosed later," he added.

In July of 2019, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment solicited applications from medical facilities ready to conduct examinations on potential Malaysian migrants. Each applicant was required to submit a Tk 5,000 application fee.

The applications are undergoing review, and approval has not yet been granted.

In addition, on June 29, the Bangladesh Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET) notified migrants not to pay any money or hand over their passports to anyone.

In addition, they were required to conduct all transactions through the bank and retain all receipts.

On Tuesday, the minister for expatriates' welfare told reporters that no medical facility had been licensed to conduct examinations for Malaysia.

In addition, he stated that all entities capable of conducting inspections would be approved. "It is uncertain whether the medical facilities currently accepting funds from aspiring migrants will be approved."

Imran continued, "I do not know if the Malaysian government has chosen the medical centers."

When queried about agencies charging migrants Tk 3.5 lakh, he responded, "According to the Memorandum of Understanding, employers will be responsible for the majority of migration expenses. Why should I require my employees to pay such a high sum?"

Observers have stated that the medical centers conducting unlawful health screenings must be prosecuted and their facilities shut down for defying government directives and illegally lucrative business.

Performing examinations before other procedures

For potential migrants, Malaysian employers issue demand letters, which the Bangladesh High Commission must attest to in Kuala Lumpur.

The high commission then submits the demand letters to Bangladesh's expatriate welfare ministry. These documents require the signature of the ministry's secretary, and the ministry must subsequently run a newspaper advertisement.

Before any of these procedures, however, the names of the prospective migrants must be retrieved from the BMET database. After completing all of these stages, medical exams are conducted.

The minister for expatriates' welfare stated, "Request letters will arrive first, followed by the selection process." Then on, only recognized medical institutes will conduct health examinations."