Bangladesh asks Malaysia to arrest and extradite 2 businessmen over alleged migrant worker trafficking and extortion

KUALA LUMPUR: Bangladesh police have called on Malaysia to arrest and extradite the founder of a controversial firm managing Malaysia’s migrant worker intake and his associate as part of a probe into alleged money laundering, extortion and trafficking of migrant workers, according to a report.

Bestinet Sdn Bhd founder Mohamed Aminul Islam and Mr Mohamad Ruhul Amin are alleged to be involved in a system that “fraudulently extorted money from the victims” and subjected them to “physical and mental torture”, read a letter dated Oct 24 which Dhaka’s branch of Interpol had sent to its counterpart in Malaysia. 

Bangladesh’s request was first reported on Nov 5 by Bloomberg.

Dhaka’s police inspector Ashiqur Rahman who is part of Bangladesh’s Interpol Branch as well as a senior Bangladeshi government official who was not allowed to speak publicly about the matter have both confirmed to Bloomberg the letter was sent to Malaysia. 

The letter, however, does not say whether the men have been charged, according to Bloomberg. 

Mr Ashiqur added that Malaysian authorities had already responded to the letter by requesting Bangladesh to submit a formal request for extradition. The documents are currently being prepared, he said.

As of Nov 6, Malaysian police and home affairs and foreign affairs ministries have yet to issue any statements on the matter. 

In a statement released on Wednesday, Mr Aminul and Bestinet "categorically deny" the allegations, describing them as "completely unfounded".

"Importantly, neither Dato’ Sri Amin (Mr Aminul) nor Bestinet engages in recruitment processes or has any direct interactions with recruitment agencies or potential hires in Bangladesh or elsewhere," the statement added.

Mr Aminul’s lawyer told Bloomberg that they have yet to receive any information regarding the letter from the Bangladeshi police and also denied the allegations raised in it. 

Meanwhile, a representative for Catharsis International - a Dhaka-based recruitment firm for which Mr Ruhul is the sole proprietor - had replied to Bloomberg via email, refuting any allegations and stating that Mr Ruhul has “always been operating legally, legitimately and ethically”. 

Mr Aminul, a former Bangladesh national who has taken up Malaysian citizenship, stepped down as chairman of Bestinet in July 2023 but remains a shareholder of the company, according to news outlet Malaysiakini. 

Mr Ruhul meanwhile, acts as his representative in Bangladesh. 

According to Mr Ashiqur, both Mr Aminul and Mr Ruhul were last sighted in Kuala Lumpur.

ALLEGATIONS OF A MONEY LAUNDERING SYNDICATE

In a Malaysiakini report on Sep 23 that is also available on Bestinet’s official website, the company had denied allegations that it was involved in money laundering activities through its founder Mr Aminul.

“Bestinet denies the existence of any syndicate supposedly controlled by Aminul or anyone else within our jurisdiction,” Bestinet’s current chief executive officer Ismail Mohd Noor told Malaysiakini on Sep 23, adding that Mr Aminul is no longer involved in any part of Bestinet’s operations. 

On Sep 18, Bangladesh media outlet Prothom Alo reported that both Mr Aminul and Mr Ruhul were involved as “controllers” of a money laundering syndicate made of 100 agencies that could continue sending migrant workers to enter Malaysia, although recruitment agencies are no longer allowed to send workers to Malaysia since May this year.

Malaysia’s Home Affairs Ministry had set the entry deadline of May 31 after tens of thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers had become victims of an extensive labour scam in Malaysia whereby they had to pay up to US$5,000 upfront for jobs that did not exist, forcing them to work illegally to pay debts, according to South China Morning Post.

According to local recruitment agency owners in Bangladesh, cited in Prothom Alo, the official registration fee per worker is 2,700 Bangladeshi taka (US$22.59) but workers have been charged a fee of around 107,000 Bangladeshi taka by the syndicate. 

Prothom Alo reported that while 7,000 Bangladeshi taka is obtained by a local collection agency, the remaining 100,000 Bangladeshi taka is sent to Bestinet, through “illegal channels” as a “syndicate fee”. And a sum of 50 billion Bangladeshi taka has been laundered this way, as reported by Prothom Alo. 

Mr Ismail refuted claims of the exorbitant application fee reported by the Bangladeshi local media.

“We do not charge any syndicate fees. We only collect the amount allowed by the Malaysian government,” Mr Ismail said, as quoted by Malaysiakini. 

On Jun 20, Prothom Alo also reported that Mr Ruhul had denied allegations of money laundering.

“Why will everyone give me money, am I so powerful? Aminul Islam is also a businessman. How will the businessmen have control over the labour market?” he was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo. 

According to Bloomberg, the Bangladeshi police had also requested for Malaysia to temporarily halt Bestinet’s proprietary IT system, the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS). 

The Malaysian Immigration Department has utilised the FWCMS platform to monitor and consolidate visa applications from 15 countries (including Bangladesh) exporting labour to Malaysia since 2013.

In their statement on Wednesday, Mr Aminul and Bestinet said the company's technology is specifically developed to "foster transparent and lawful recruitment practices", which are closely monitored by Malaysian and Bangladeshi government bodies.

"Dato’ Sri Amin (Mr Aminul) and Bestinet firmly reject any suggestions of misconduct and remain committed to delivering a transparent, secure, and accountable foreign worker management solution," they added. 

"Bestinet continues to operate under formal government contracts and pledges to maintain open communication with all stakeholders as it uphold Malaysia’s high standards for foreign worker protection."

ANTI-GRAFT CRACKDOWN IN BANGLADESH 

CNA reported on Aug 27 that the anti-graft crackdown in Bangladesh on the alleged syndicates operating in the export of labour could have serious ramifications for Malaysia. 

The country is host to more than 400,000 documented Bangladesh workers and several thousands more who enter the country illegally, and they make up one of the largest country proportions of foreign workers in the world, which collectively account for roughly 30 per cent of the national workforce that is estimated at 17 million people.

Bangladesh journalists covering the corruption crackdown and executives in Dhaka-based recruitment agencies told CNA that the central aim of the crackdown by the ACC is to dismantle a network comprising Bangladesh and Malaysian businesses that has a stranglehold over the recruitment of foreign labour and a major player is Bestinet.