Malaysia's graft agency dropped its migrant-recruiter probe as the firm got a 6-year deal
Malaysia's anti-corruption commission (MACC) opened an investigation into Bestinet, the company that runs the country's foreign-worker recruitment system, in July 2022 and declared no further action in September 2024, shortly after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet extended Bestinet's contract for six years, according to a January 2026 Bloomberg investigation reported by MalaysiaNow and The Daily Star. Bloomberg reported that recruitment of Bangladeshi workers was routed through a handful of agencies charging an unlawful 'syndicate fee', with costs reaching about $6,600 per worker, leaving many in debt bondage or without the jobs they paid for. In November 2025 UN human rights experts described 'widespread and systematic' exploitation and debt bondage of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, including passport confiscation and a lack of support from government agencies. Bangladesh has revoked agency licences and asked Malaysia in 2024 to extradite Bestinet founder Aminul Islam, who has not been extradited; he denies collecting syndicate fees, and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denies involvement.
in September 2024, MACC declared "no further action" on Bestinet, shortly after the company was granted a lucrative six-year extension
I never met a single worker, so how do I collect money?
paid recruitment fees five times higher than the official rate
sounded an alarm over alleged continued exploitation, deception, and deepening debt bondage
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Founder Aminul Islam denied the allegations and that syndicate fees exist: 'I never met a single worker, so how do I collect money?'
Denied involvement.
No outcome recorded yet.