A Bangladeshi lawyer is urging the Malaysian government to investigate allegations of a human trafficking syndicate involving Bangladeshi labourers here.
This follows reports of former Bangladeshi MP Masud Uddin Chowdhury, who is also the managing director of a company, being remanded for probes into a human trafficking syndicate and the misappropriation of 240 billion taka (about RM8.2 billion).
“Bangladesh has started investigations since last year. More than 100 individuals from Bangladesh and Malaysia have been identified. There have been arrests, and a former minister was detained.
“But, in Malaysia, there (appears to be) no action. It is very disappointing,” said Rafiqul Islam, who represents the complainant in the Bangladesh case, to Malaysiakini.
Rafiqul (above) is the lawyer for Altaf Khan, a company owner who filed a report against 103 alleged syndicate members in Bangladesh.
The lawyer claimed that his client has never been called to assist in investigations in Malaysia, despite frequently travelling here for business.
Malaysiakini has contacted the Human Resources Ministry, the Home Ministry, and the police for their response to the claims. A request for comment has also been sought from Masud’s representatives.
Previously, several Bangladeshi media outlets, including DhakaTimes24, reported that Masud was arrested at his residence in Dhaka, the country’s capital, last Sunday night.
Other names mentioned in the report included Bangladeshi former ministers and ex-MPs, as well as over 100 owners of Bangladeshi recruitment agencies.
On July 31 last year, Malaysiakini reported that Bangladesh agreed to halt investigations into an alleged syndicate exploiting Bangladeshis seeking to work in Malaysia.
Sources claimed that the decision was reached during a meeting between Bangladeshi government representatives and Malaysian Human Resources Ministry officials in Kuala Lumpur.
The Human Resources Ministry, however, denied holding any official meeting with Bangladeshi representatives. - Mkini
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