A expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry-formed probe committee has recommended legal action against about 100 recruiting agents for their alleged negligence and failure to send over 17,000 Malaysia-aspirant migrants, who paid the agents huge money for the purpose.    Â
As per the probe body’s recommendations, the ministry served the show cause notices on the recruiting agents asking them to explain their professional negligence in sending the job seekers to Malaysia.
It also asked the recruiting agents to return the amounts to the aspirant migrants by July 18 following the probe body’s another recommendation.
Submitting the report to the High Court, the ministry informed the court of recommendations by the probe body in compliance of an order issued by the court on July 9.  Â
The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice SM Masud Hossain Dolan, after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Tanvir Ahmed, asked the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment’ ministry to inform it in a week what action was taken to address sufferings of Malaysia-bound workers, as reported by various newspapers.
The ministry said that it on June 2 formed a six-member committee-headed by an additional secretary (employment department) over the failure of 17,777 aspirant migrants to fly to Malaysia though individual aspirant paid Tk 4 to 6 lakh to a recruiting agent although the government’s rate for a Malaysia-bound migrant was Tk 78,000.
Out of the17,777 migrants, 3,000 made complaints against the recruiting agents and demanded a refund of their money.  Â
The court set July 21 for passing an order on the writ petition on the issue. The Malaysian authorities allowed 100 private recruiting agencies to send workers from Bangladesh.
Due to mismanagement and corruption in the recruitment process, the agencies, however, failed to send approximately 17,777 workers before the 31 May deadline set by Malaysia.