On Monday, the Dhaka Tribune reported that Bangladesh’s anti-graft agency was probing a syndicate led by four ex-MPs from the former government which sent around 450,000 workers to Malaysia in one-and-a-half years.

The report said the syndicate involved senior Malaysian and Bangladeshi government officials.

It added that the syndicate had allegedly embezzled RM8.9 billion in the process of sending the workers to Malaysia, with many of them returning to Bangladesh when they were unable to find jobs.

“I will ask the relevant authorities to give me a thorough report,” Saifuddin told reporters during a dialogue with the police at the Sime Darby Convention Centre in Bukit Kiara.

“I will ask Wisma Putra for updates and will also engage with the human resources ministry as well as the immigration department. We need to take this seriously.”

The Dhaka Tribune said the syndicate allegedly amassed the RM8.9 billion by overcharging workers. It also said the Bangladeshi expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry did not take any action on the matter.

It said workers were charged far above the Bangladesh government’s set cost of about RM2,940 to secure a job in Malaysia, with the average worker paying nearly seven times more, or roughly RM20,280.

It reported that Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission had formed a three-member team to investigate the illegal assets and operations of the four former MPs who led the syndicate. All of them are linked to the previous Awami League government.

Malaysia fixed the number of agencies from Bangladesh for recruitment of workers at 25 in 2022 when the labour market reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, it was announced that this number would be increased to 100.