By Yusrin Junaidi
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, OCT 16 – Bangladeshi expatriates working in Brunei Darussalam have submitted a complaint at the Bangladesh High Commission recently stating that a total of 120 workers have so far been victims of fraud by one of the country’s leading remittance companies.
According to the High Commission of Bangladesh when contacted, said that the workers had sent remittances amounting to $720 thousand to Bangladesh using the services of the remittance company through one of the global money transfer service agents starting from July 31 to August 27.
According to him, a Filipino employee working as an agent at the company is alleged to have embezzled money without depositing the money and there is no information about his whereabouts since August 28.
The Bangladesh High Commission has conducted an investigation and has held discussions with His Majesty’s Government regarding the issue.
Based on the information obtained from the company involved, the suspect has returned to the Philippines and the legal process is ongoing. However, there is no guarantee from the company involved whether the fraud victims will get their money back or not.
There are about 20,000 Bangladeshis in the country and contribute to the country’s foreign exchange reserves by sending their hard-earned money back home. Bangladeshi expatriates sent remittances of US$74.2 million to the homeland in the 2023-24 financial year. They usually send money through banks or licensed remittance companies, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
If there is no solution to this issue, Bangladeshi expatriates may lose interest in sending money through official channels, he added.
Expatriates have been visiting the Bangladesh High Commission office every day hoping for a solution.
Meanwhile, the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB) has issued a statement stating that under Chapter 54 of the BDCB Order, 2010, it has ordered the company involved to stop accepting money from the public for the purpose of remittances starting October 4.
According to the statement, the company involved has failed to comply with a number of remittance business license conditions set by the BDCB, including allowing unauthorized employees to conduct remittance business on behalf of the company.
Furthermore, the company involved was also found to not have sufficient resources, internal controls and procedures to protect the interests of customers.
The BDCB will monitor this situation continuously and, if necessary, will take appropriate action to safeguard the public interest and ensure the financial stability of Brunei Darussalam.
Any inquiries to BDCB can be made at +673 2381370 during office hours or email [email protected]
