The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has decided to file 60 separate cases against 124 owners and officials of recruiting agencies for embezzling and laundering approximately Tk 4,500 crore by charging several times the government-approved fees for sending manpower to Malaysia.

The decision was announced on Wednesday (December 10) from the ACC headquarters, confirmed by ACC Director General Md. Akhtar Hossain.

The cases allege that 124 owners of 60 recruiting agencies embezzled a total of Tk 4,545 crore 20 lakh 82 thousand 500 from 267,276 workers.

According to the investigation report, the owners, chairmen, managing directors, directors, and other related individuals of the 60 overseas companies engaged in widespread irregularities in the recruitment process for Malaysia. They allegedly formed syndicates during their tenure at various positions in the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET), and through contract violations and abuse of power, collected fees several times higher than the government-mandated amount.

Under government regulations, the cost for one worker to go to Malaysia was Tk 78,990. However, according to the allegations, the accused used political influence and internal power mechanisms within the Bureau to inflate this cost many times over. Worker selection, financial procedures, and contract conditions were ignored. The charges in the cases include sections 120(B), 161, 162, 163, 164, 165(A), 420, and 409 of the Penal Code.

Earlier, 40 separate cases were filed against 108 individuals, including owners, chairmen, managing directors, and directors of 40 overseas companies, for embezzling Tk 3,438 crore 94 lakh 25 thousand. These cases are still under investigation.

In total, 100 separate cases have now been filed, involving 232 accused individuals, with the total embezzled amount reaching Tk 7,984 crore 15 lakh 7 thousand 500.