Kuwait arrests Bangladesh MP on charges of human trafficking, money laundering

[X-ray Papa]

Shahid Islam was charged with human trafficking, money laundering, and exploiting his compatriot workers after testimonies of five Bangladeshis, who confirmed they had paid amounts of up to 3,000 dinars in exchange for coming to Kuwait


Abu Dhabi: Due to an alleged involvement in human trafficking and money laundering, Kuwait officials have confirmed that a Bangladeshi lawmaker has been arrested. Kuwaiti Public Prosecution ordered remanding MP, Mohammad Shahid Islam, pending investigation, after being referred by the residence investigation department, which arrested him in the Musharraf area on Saturday.

The prosecution charged him with human trafficking, money laundering, and exploiting his compatriot workers after hearing testimonies of five Bangladeshis, who confirmed that they had paid amounts of up to 3,000 dinars in exchange for coming to Kuwait, and that they were also paying annual sums for renewing their residency visas.

Ambassador of Bangladesh in Kuwait, SM Abul Kalam, told Al Rai newspaper that he had heard the news of the arrest of MP Islam and that he was communicating with the Kuwaiti authorities in this regard, explaining, “There are reports about allegations of human trafficking against the MP.”

Bangladeshi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abu Al Kalam Abdul Moamen, said the Ambassador of Bangladesh in Kuwait informed him of the arrest of the MP in a case brought up because of his business there.

“We do not know anything officially,” said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammad Shahriar Alam. “Our embassy is checking with the local authorities. Even a convict is entitled to consular support from the homeland under the law,” he said.


Among the complaints submitted against the suspected Bangladeshi MP, is that he is believed to have provided five luxury cars as bribes to government officials in Kuwait, so that he could obtain contracts for the company he runs there.

In February, Islam, an MP from Laxmipur, dismissed as “false and imaginary” allegations that he trafficked humans to Kuwait.

Kuwaiti media have also accused him of trading visas and siphoning off money to the US for laundering.

Islam told media outlets in his country he was not even involved in manpower export, let alone human trafficking.

According to Al Qabas, the suspect is a member of a three-man racket whose other members include a Bangladeshi MP, whose wife is also an MP from the seats reserved for women.


It added that the trio occupied sensitive positions in three major companies that brought over 20,000 Bangladeshi workers into the country in exchange for large sums of money believed to be in excess of 50 million dinars ($163 million).

The MP reportedly channelled the money to the US to set up a company in partnership with an American national, according to the report.

Islam said he had no links with the man arrested in Kuwait.

Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo reported citing a source in the Bangladesh embassy in Kuwait that Islam is the legislator in question from Laxmipur-2 seat.

A vice-chairman of NRB Commercial Bank, Islam is also chairman of NRB Securities Exchange Company. He sits on the board of Crystal Energy Limited as a director.


With permanent resident status in Kuwait, he is known as Kazi Shahid Islam Papul to his constituents.

He runs the Marafie Kuwaitia Group as managing director and CEO.

The businesses of the company with presence in Kuwait, Oman and Jordan range from waste management, cleaning and janitorial services to security solutions to heavy equipment rental to engineering.

About the Kuwaiti firm, Islam said people from 29 countries work there.

https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/kuw...human-trafficking-money-laundering-1.71929383

 

[El Sidd]

Where is the Dalal guy from Kuwait?

I want his opinion on this.

 

[X-ray Papa]

@DalalErMaNodi whats your opinion on this?

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

Where is the Dalal guy from Kuwait?

I want his opinion on this.

@DalalErMaNodi whats your opinion on this?

Well lets see, Human Trafficking is a very serious issue in the rich gulf states (GCC), no where else is this menace more of an issue than in Kuwait.

For the longest time, Kuwaiti authorities have been lax when it comes to cracking down on Human traffickers, instead they used to rely on raid in area where illegals usually stay in an attempt to stem the tide of illegals.

Before anything is said it is important to explain how human trafficking is done here.
It usually starts with a person wanting to come to Kuwait for work, in order to support their family back home,...
In a few cases people are enticed into coming abroad by their relatives or acquaintances who already live or work in these countries.

Anyway, these people are directed to get in touch with a "broker", this broker talks them through the visa procedure, life abroad, what jobs they will be expected to do etc. I would like to add most victims are naive men from villages with no idea of life outside their village, they're easily convinced and made to believe that they will have a easy job here with lots of pay, nobody ever mentions working as a labourer under the scorching Kuwaiti sun.

Victims are convinced into paying a large sum of money for the brokers help in bringing them abroad, mind you these people come here legally, they only become illegal later, as I'll explain shortly. Victims are poor and usually sell whatever land, property or cattle they have to acquire the required funds, sometimes even taking out loans.

Once the money is paid, they are told they will have good life here and will have many other Bangladeshis here to keep them company.

The victim only realises their mistake after they come here and are forced into busses after arriving at the airport. Bus takes them straight to the labour housing units, locally known as "camps". These camps are crowded apartment complexes with 5 to 6 people living in each room. The job is not what they were promised instead its usually some type of manual labour ranging anywhere from construction work to janitorial services. They are over worked and the camp supervisor who is also usually a Bangladeshi takes a cut from their already low salaries, anywhere from 30 to 40 percent.

Now here's the catch the Kuwaiti labour laws are extremely vague and layman workers have no knowledge of their rights, as such they're abused and treated like slaves. The people are brought here on "project" visas, which is basically a work visa that expires once the project that you're working for is completed.

Long story short, after anywhere from 1 to 4 years of slaving off here at low pay, these people are terminated and expected to buy a ticket back home, end of story.

Most people refuse to do this, because they spent thousands of dinars coming here, only to find themselves entrapped and cheated by the brokers. These people now "Illegals" do all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet ranging from washing cars to working in far off isolated farms, always vary and hiding from law enforcement.

The Kuwaiti government conducts raid every now and then, resulting in a few repatriations here and there but doesn't make a move to stem the issue, that is until now.

Since the last six or so months, there has been a concerted effort by the Kuwaiti government to deport illegal expatriates and fix the demographics imbalance; 70% of Kuwait's residents are foreigners. These illegals include Indians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankas, Nepalis, Ethiopians, Afghans and a few other countries.

I do not know how Indians and Pakistanis end up as illegals but I presume its the same story as with Bangladeshis.

Now coming to the point, This MP is the General manager of a company called "Marifi International", They supply manpower ranging from Labourers, Security, Drivers and Janitors. These guys have a direct link to visa brokers back in Bangladesh and sometimes they themselves set up these visa brokering offices back home.

They also have support from withing the Kuwaiti establishment, there are a few corrupt Kuwaiti nationals involved in this trade, and the Kuwaiti government is currently weeding these people out, Some are even high profile officials.


Now coming to what I think, I wholly support the Kuwaiti government's move to crack down on and dismantle the human trafficking rings. The government is leaving so stone unturned and is not shying away from taking appropriate measures against their own citizens who are involved in this. The honourable PM of Kuwait has promised that all those involved will apprehended, no matter how high up the trail of corruption goes.

I personally thank the Kuwaiti government especially His excellency the Emir and the Honourable PM for taking these much needed actions because these illegals are a menace to us all and only serve to snub the image of our countries and they inadvertently make life hell for us legal residents.

Mr. Shahid here is a criminal and has exploited countless people and run them out huge sums of money, Hopefully now fate and justice catch up to him. I hope he isn't deported to Bangladesh and is made to serve his time here in Kuwait, where he cant talk his way out of trouble. Having known people who were exploited and tricked by these human trafficking rings, I have nothing but utter comtempt for this crook.


This is a controversial topic here in Kuwait, both among citizens and expats, as such I would prefer to not make any hasty comments regarding this and instead let the Law run its course.

Edit : I forgot to mention, last month the government enacted a new law that allowed for illegals to get a no questions asked ticket back to their country of origin paid for by the Kuwaiti government and all the fines and criminal charges related to being illegal were dropped. Around 30,000 people signed up for this amnesty service and most have departed now, but it is estimated that another 15 to 30 thousand illegal Bangladeshis remain. Illegal Indians number over 80,000.


Perhaps @Michael Corleone bhai who also resides in Kuwait can share his views on this as well.

 

[Microsoft]

From what I've seen about Kuwait they need to do much more than arrest 1 high profile Bengali. Some of the examples are downright horrific and should be investigated by some international body.

exhibit 1:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/31/kuwait-woman-arrested-filming-maid-suicide-attempt

 

[El Sidd]

Well lets see, Human Trafficking is a very serious issue in the rich gulf states (GCC), no where else is this menace more of an issue than in Kuwait.

For the longest time, Kuwaiti authorities have been lax when it comes to cracking down on Human traffickers, instead they used to rely on raid in area where illegals usually stay in an attempt to stem the tide of illegals.

Before anything is said it is important to explain how human trafficking is done here.
It usually starts with a person wanting to come to Kuwait for work, in order to support their family back home,...
In a few cases people are enticed into coming abroad by their relatives or acquaintances who already live or work in these countries.

Anyway, these people are directed to get in touch with a "broker", this broker talks them through the visa procedure, life abroad, what jobs they will be expected to do etc. I would like to add most victims are naive men from villages with no idea of life outside their village, they're easily convinced and made to believe that they will have a easy job here with lots of pay, nobody ever mentions working as a labourer under the scorching Kuwaiti sun.

Victims are convinced into paying a large sum of money for the brokers help in bringing them abroad, mind you these people come here legally, they only become illegal later, as I'll explain shortly. Victims are poor and usually sell whatever land, property or cattle they have to acquire the required funds, sometimes even taking out loans.

Once the money is paid, they are told they will have good life here and will have many other Bangladeshis here to keep them company.

The victim only realises their mistake after they come here and are forced into busses after arriving at the airport. Bus takes them straight to the labour housing units, locally known as "camps". These camps are crowded apartment complexes with 5 to 6 people living in each room. The job is not what they were promised instead its usually some type of manual labour ranging anywhere from construction work to janitorial services. They are over worked and the camp supervisor who is also usually a Bangladeshi takes a cut from their already low salaries, anywhere from 30 to 40 percent.

Now here's the catch the Kuwaiti labour laws are extremely vague and layman workers have no knowledge of their rights, as such they're abused and treated like slaves. The people are brought here on "project" visas, which is basically a work visa that expires once the project that you're working for is completed.

Long story short, after anywhere from 1 to 4 years of slaving off here at low pay, these people are terminated and expected to buy a ticket back home, end of story.

Most people refuse to do this, because they spent thousands of dinars coming here, only to find themselves entrapped and cheated by the brokers. These people now "Illegals" do all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet ranging from washing cars to working in far off isolated farms, always vary and hiding from law enforcement.

The Kuwaiti government conducts raid every now and then, resulting in a few repatriations here and there but doesn't make a move to stem the issue, that is until now.

Since the last six or so months, there has been a concerted effort by the Kuwaiti government to deport illegal expatriates and fix the demographics imbalance; 70% of Kuwait's residents are foreigners. These illegals include Indians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankas, Nepalis, Ethiopians, Afghans and a few other countries.

I do not know how Indians and Pakistanis end up as illegals but I presume its the same story as with Bangladeshis.

Now coming to the point, This MP is the General manager of a company called "Marifi International", They supply manpower ranging from Labourers, Security, Drivers and Janitors. These guys have a direct link to visa brokers back in Bangladesh and sometimes they themselves set up these visa brokering offices back home.

They also have support from withing the Kuwaiti establishment, there are a few corrupt Kuwaiti nationals involved in this trade, and the Kuwaiti government is currently weeding these people out, Some are even high profile officials.


Now coming to what I think, I wholly support the Kuwaiti government's move to crack down on and dismantle the human trafficking rings. The government is leaving so stone unturned and is not shying away from taking appropriate measures against their own citizens who are involved in this. The honourable PM of Kuwait has promised that all those involved will apprehended, no matter how high up the trail of corruption goes.

I personally thank the Kuwaiti government especially His excellency the Emir and the Honourable PM for taking these much needed actions because these illegals are a menace to us all and only serve to snub the image of our countries and they inadvertently make life hell for us legal residents.

Mr. Shahid here is a criminal and has exploited countless people and run them out huge sums of money, Hopefully now fate and justice catch up to him. I hope he isn't deported to Bangladesh and is made to serve his time here in Kuwait, where he cant talk his way out of trouble. Having known people who were exploited and tricked by these human trafficking rings, I have nothing but utter comtempt for this crook.


This is a controversial topic here in Kuwait, both among citizens and expats, as such I would prefer to not make any hasty comments regarding this and instead let the Law run its course.


Perhaps @Michael Corleone bhai who also resides in Kuwait can share his views on this as well.

You should open a whole thread on this

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

You should open a whole thread on this

It will all end soon, Bangladesh government maybe inept and corrupt but the Kuwaitis will not shy away from doing the needful.

Especially now that illegals have become a security risk and overall menace here.

Although on the whole, I will agree human trafficking is a very big problem for Bangladesh, only two weeks ago 26 Bangladeshi migrants were killed by their captors/traffickers in Libya.

 

[X-ray Papa]

If this MP is really guilty, then corruption in bangladesh is worse than i thought.

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

If this MP is really guilty, then corruption in bangladesh is worse than i thought.

Bangladesh is the epitome of corruption.

 

[TopCat]

If this MP is really guilty, then corruption in bangladesh is worse than i thought.

This MP bought the candidate of the alliance nominee in the last parliament and made him to quit the contest and he became the MP as independent. Then he again bought some more independent MP and made his wife as reserve MP too. He is an artist when comes to corruption.
Nobody in BD will miss him for sure.

 

[El Sidd]

It will all end soon, Bangladesh government maybe inept and corrupt but the Kuwaitis will not shy away from doing the needful.

Especially now that illegals have become a security risk and overall menace here.

Although on the whole, I will agree human trafficking is a very big problem for Bangladesh, only two weeks ago 26 Bangladeshi migrants were killed by their captors/traffickers in Libya.

so it will be Sonar Wapsi?

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

so it will be Sonar Wapsi?

I'm a legal resident, so no there won't be any 'wapsi'.

 

[El Sidd]

I'm a legal resident, so no there won't be any 'wapsi'.

don't you wanna go help out?

 

[DalalErMaNodi]

don't you wanna go help out?

I spend most of my time in Bangladesh, so yes I'm 'helping' out.

 

[El Sidd]

I spend most of my time in Bangladesh, so yes I'm 'helping' out.

you are a good person. keep it up