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Dhaka seeks Putrajaya’s aid to arrest, extradite Bestinet founder and associate for investigation into trafficking and extortion of Bangladeshi workers
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 — Bangladesh is asking Malaysian to arrest and extradite the founder of Bestinet Sdn Bhd, a local tech firm that manages the recruitment of foreign workers, and another businessman who are both wanted in the South Asian country for investigation into suspected money laundering, human trafficking, and extortion of their citizens as workers abroad.
Datuk Seri Aminul Islam and Ruhul Amin are accused of running a fraudulent system that extorted money from Bangladeshi workers and subjected them to physical and mental abuse, Bloomberg reported yesterday, citing an October 24 letter sent by Bangladesh’s Interpol branch to its Malaysian counterpart.
The newswire cited a police inspector named Ashiqur Rahman said to be involved in the investigation as confirming the details of the letter that purported that Aminul and Ruhul were central to the network that trafficked and exploited the Bangladeshi workers.
Bloomberg said it sighted the letter, which did not specify if formal charges have been laid against the businessmen, but added that a senior Bangladeshi government official confirmed the request for extradition.
According to Bloomberg, Bangladesh has asked Malaysia to halt the use of software developed by Bestinet to process migrant workers.
Bestinet’s software has been in use in Malaysia since at least 2018 to monitor and manage migrant worker flows, and Aminul’s involvement in the company has raised concerns given the allegations.
Bangladesh-born Aminul who has been reported to have been granted Malaysian citizenship, was also reported to have categorically rejected the allegations through his lawyer and denied receiving any formal communication regarding the extradition request.
Bloomberg said it also sought to contact Ruhul without success, but added that a representative from his company, Catharsis International, denied the allegations.
The newswire reported that a Bestinet spokesman said the company had not been informed of the extradition request or the demand to halt its software’s use, and declined to provide further details.
According to Bloomberg, the Malaysian police, Home Ministry have not responded to its requests for comment, while the Human Resources Ministry has declined to comment.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was reported by local news portal Malaysiakini in June as saying that the Malaysian government is extending Bestinet’s contract for three more years, on stricter terms, to streamline the hiring of foreign workers while ensuring their protection and welfare.
In September, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Tan Sri Azam Baki said its investigations of Bestinet found nothing to support claims published by a Dhaka news outlet on allegations of money laundering involving a Bangladesh network recruiting the country’s workers for the Malaysian market, and classified the case as “no further action”.
Bloomberg cited Asif Nazrul, an adviser to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, saying its interim government is committed to reforming the labour migration system to eliminate illegal recruitment fees and ensure the safety of workers abroad.
Migrant labour is vital to Bangladesh’s economy, but workers are often forced into debt bondage, making them vulnerable to further abuse abroad, including in countries like Malaysia.
