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and Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury and Malaysian Human Resources Minister Ramanan Ramakrishnan in Putrajaya, the Malaysian side introduced a technology-driven labour recruitment system for all source countries, including Bangladesh.

According to a joint statement, the system would ensure that employers bear the full cost of recruitment, resulting in zero cost to workers, in line with the Employer Pays Principle under the guidelines of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

However, Bloomberg reported that the foreign worker recruitment system that Malaysia is planning to adopt is developed by Bestinet Sdn Bhd.

Quoting six people familiar with the matter, it reports the software is marketed as allowing companies to hire workers directly, rather than using middlemen who charge them excessive fees.

The system known as the Universal Recruitment Advanced Platform, or Turap, will have a digital portal where employers can sign up and find employees, they said.

In January, Bloomberg published an investigation into endemic corruption in Malaysia’s recruitment of migrant workers from Bangladesh.

Aminul, popularly known as Dato Amin, has denied contributing to migrant workers being charged high recruitment fees and said he has devoted his life to helping them.

Representatives for Ramanan, Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s Office and Bestinet did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment.

Bloomberg reports that Bestinet already operates a software system called the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System, or FWCMS, which Malaysia uses to manage parts of its recruitment, especially from Bangladesh.

That system consists of various modules, such as worker health checks and insurance, and also involves recruitment agents.

In an interview with Bloomberg in July last year, Aminul said he was not responsible for the people who use it, referring to officials who approve bogus applications or agents who overcharge workers.

In 2024, Bangladesh’s police asked Malaysia to stop using FWCMS and for Aminul to be extradited, alleging he played a key role in a system that “fraudulently extorted” workers, the report said.

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said in October last year that Malaysia’s police were in touch with their Bangladeshi counterparts. Aminul has not been extradited or charged.