HC seeks probe report on role of 10 recruiting agencies
The High Court today directed an inter-ministerial committee to submit the probe report on the monopoly of 10 recruiting agencies which had been engaged in labour recruitment from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
The committee, which was formed as per an HC order, has been asked to submit the probe report before the court by July 18.
The court also rejected an application filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission seeking its direction upon the government to remove its name from the probe committee.
The High Court bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed the order while hearing a writ-petition in this regard.
Barrister Rashna Imam, a lawyer for the writ petitioner, told The Daily Star that the government has formed the nine-member probe committee including the ACC on February 10 this year to investigate the irregularities and corruption of ten recruitment agencies.
The ACC recently filed an application to the High Court seeking its order on the government to exclude it from the probe committee.
Following the High Court order, the ACC will be involved in the probe committee to investigate the monopoly of ten recruitment agencies, she said.
The High Court on October 29, last year directed the government to form an inter-ministerial committee to investigate the monopoly of 10 recruiting agencies and submit the probe report in six months.
The court came up with the order and rule following a writ petition filed by 10 recruitment agencies, which contested the arbitrary selection of the syndicate of 10 agencies that the petitioners claimed have deprived over a thousand competent government-approved agencies of their fundamental right to run a lawful trade guaranteed under article 40 of the constitution.
The syndicate of 10 recruiting agencies was formed after Bangladesh and Malaysia had signed a recruitment deal -- G-to-G Plus -- in early 2016. It created a total monopoly to send workers to Malaysia.
As per the recruitment deal, the recruitment cost was set at Tk 37,500 a person, but was later revised to Tk 160,000 on June 14 last year. However, actual recruitment cost eventually went up to around Tk 400,000.
Under the G-to-G Plus deal, over two lakh Bangladeshis have gone to Malaysia since early 2017. However, Malaysia has suspended the labour recruitment from Bangladesh since September 1 this year following allegations of charging high recruitment fees by the syndicate and exploitation of migrant workers.
The high migration costs decrease migration of workers, resulting in dropping of remittance to the country, the petition said.
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