(July 9): Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met Datuk Seri Aminul Islam Abdul Nor, the businessman the South Asian nation tried to have extradited in 2024 as part of a probe into alleged trafficking of migrant workers, during a state visit to Malaysia in June, according to people familiar with the matter.
The two men met at Kuala Lumpur’s national palace before Rahman continued on to China, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing details that are private. Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri R Ramanan also attended the unscheduled gathering, the people said.
A spokesman for Rahman confirmed the visit to the palace where Ramanan received the Bangladeshi delegation. He made no mention of Aminul. “We exchanged greetings with several individuals present at the palace,” he said in an emailed statement.
A representative of Ramanan didn’t respond to a request for comments. Lui & Bhullar, a law firm representing Aminul, also didn’t respond. Neither did a representative of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysia’s recruitment of migrant workers from Bangladesh has spurred debate in both countries, with labourers often saddled with huge recruitment debts and sometimes promised jobs that don’t materialise. Aminul has been accused of using his company’s role as a gatekeeper to charge unjust additional fees to Bangladeshi workers, although he has denied doing so. Ramanan as recently as April advocated for Malaysia to adopt a recruitment software that would give Aminul’s company, Bestinet Sdn Bhd, more control over the process.
During his visit last month, Rahman discussed manpower matters with Malaysian officials, including the recruitment freeze that Malaysia imposed in 2024, according to remarks prepared by his spokesman. Rahman called for the Malaysian labour market to be “reopened for Bangladeshi workers as soon as possible”, his spokesman said.
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Aminul’s presence wasn’t recorded in any official capacity.
Aminul is the founder of Bestinet, which operates a software system Malaysia uses to manage recruitment of foreign workers. Bloomberg News in January published an investigation into endemic corruption in Malaysia’s recruitment of migrant workers from Bangladesh. The article mentioned the roles played in the recruitment process by Aminul, who’s also known as Amin, and Bestinet.
In 2024, Bangladesh police asked Malaysia to stop using Bestinet’s software and for Aminul to be extradited, alleging he played a key role in a system that “fraudulently extorted” workers. The request for arrest was part of a broader investigation into middlemen and lawmakers involved in sending workers from Bangladesh to Malaysia.
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Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in June the country hadn’t yet received a formal application for extradition, local media reported. Aminul, who hasn’t been charged, has consistently denied wrongdoing.
In April, Bloomberg reported Malaysia plans to adopt a different foreign worker recruitment system also developed by Bestinet. Called The Universal Recruitment Advanced Platform, or TURAP, it’s marketed as allowing companies to hire workers directly, rather than using middlemen, some of whom charge excessive fees.
Ramanan was appointed as the human resources minister in December. His predecessor, Steven Sim, had questioned TURAP due to concerns it may hand more power to Amin and Bestinet. Ramanan, in comments to local media in mid April, said he saw “no issues with adopting Bestinet as the system developer”.
Other Malaysian lawmakers have also noted concerns about TURAP, drawing attention to issues around transparency, enforcement and accountability, as well as how the system is being procured.
“Why is Bestinet once again being placed at the centre of Malaysia’s foreign worker recruitment ecosystem?,” seven lawmakers who are part of Anwar’s coalition said in a June 29 statement. “Reform must not mean replacing many middlemen with one powerful private monopoly.”
Ramanan is scheduled to visit Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka later this month, Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury told a local TV station in late June, adding that the recruitment impasse will likely be resolved soon.
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