Visa traders laundered Tk 52.34b last year

A total of Tk 52.34 billion was laundered from Bangladesh in 2016 to seven labour-receiving countries, especially in the Middle-East, in the form of buying visas for sending workers there, a TIB report disclosed on Thursday.

The money was laundered through hundi to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Malaysia and Singapore, according to the TIB (Transparency International Bangladesh) report.

Besides, at least 90 per cent of the total out-bound Bangladeshi male workers in the year were cheated in different ways, the report mentioned.

The report – ‘Good governance in labour migration process: problem and way-out’ – was launched at a press conference at TIB office in the city.

TIB executive director (ED) Dr Iftekharuzzaman told the press meet that manpower recruiters from both the labour-receiving and sending countries are involved in the illegal visa trading.

“Although there is a general perception that the irregularities take place only in our country, a section of manpower recruiters from both the receiving and sending countries are involved in the process.”

But Bangladesh is facing higher loss than those of the receiving countries, as a significant amount of money is being laundered from the country through the process, he added.

If such malpractices are not stopped, the money laundering will increase in the coming days, the TIB ED opined.

There is a lack of good governance in the sector, as the supply of workers is more than the demand, and the process is very complex. So the migrant workers are becoming victims of corruption in many ways, he noted.

According to the report, Tk 13,000-15,000 had to be paid as bribe for getting approval for each group visa from Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment in 2016. The number of group visa was 61,122.

Moreover, Tk 100-200 were transacted as bribe for immigration clearance against each visa from Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), while Tk 500-1,000 for receiving police clearance.

For getting approval of each less-skilled and semi-skilled worker visa in the name of professional ones, Tk 5,000-15,000 were paid as bribe to BMET.

The TIB report also mentioned that each of the workers paid Tk 0.55-1.2 million for securing job to Saudi Arabia in 2016, while for Malaysia and Singapore Tk 0.25-0.8 million.

However, the cost of migration has recently declined after Saudi Arabia resumes issuing visa for male workers.

The number of female migrant workers has increased nearly 50 times during the last 25 years. Officially there is no migration cost for these workers, but a section of manpower recruiters and middlemen are charging Tk 10,000-15,000 each from them.

It also said Bangladesh embassies in the destination countries many times attest visas without investigating the employing companies as per demand notes.

Besides, technical training centres (TTCs) sometimes provide certificates to the workers without pre-departure training and in exchange of bribe. In the same way, authorised medical centres also give fitness certificates to them.

The TIB report further noted that there is no mention about the activities of middlemen in the Overseas Employment and Migration Act 2013. Besides, many of the provisions of the act are not obligatory.

There is mention about providing compensation to the victim and confiscating license of the recruitment agency concerned in the act, it is not obligatory, which is one of its limitations.

The report also put some recommendations including launching one-stop service for workers for clearance of individual visa by BMET, and forming rules for bringing middlemen under the recruitment agencies as registered representatives.

Besides, ensuring compensation amounting to at least five times of the migration cost, and creating awareness among the overseas job-seekers are also recommended in the report.