Staff Correspondent

Severe allegations of financial irregularities, lack of transparency, bribery, and nepotism toward a powerful recruitment syndicate have surfaced against Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to Brunei, Naureen Ahsan. Complainants, including expatriate Bangladeshis and several recruiting agencies, claim that administrative indecision and controversial actions by the mission have led to a prolonged stagnation in Brunei—one of Bangladesh's most promising labor markets—gradually weakening the country's foothold in the Southeast Asian nation.

Complainants assert that despite robust opportunities to dispatch workers through legitimate government-to-government (G2G) channels, certain embassy officials have been granting undue privileges to a specific agency via an influential syndicate. Legitimate recruitment applications falling outside this circle are reportedly delayed under various pretexts. Consequently, due to the failure to approve demand letters on time, numerous employment quotas are being reallocated to other labor-exporting nations, depriving Bangladesh of significant foreign exchange earnings and remittance growth.

To substantiate their claims, stakeholders highlighted specific administrative documents. On May 1, 2026, a Brunei-based construction firm, UNITY LAND SDN BHD, submitted a demand letter to the Bangladesh High Commission seeking to recruit 230 workers, signed by its Director Chang Chai Woon and Executive Director Lee Seng Poh, John.

It is alleged that High Commissioner Naureen Ahsan withheld approval on superficial grounds and verbally instructed the company to reapply through Mariah Munawwarah Employment Agency. Company executives later confirmed that the recruitment process was redirected through this third party.

Subsequently, the same construction company's demand letter was resubmitted via Mariah Munawwarah Employment Agency on June 19, 2026, with the vacancy count inflated from 230 to 300. This second application was approved with unusual haste, receiving the High Commissioner's attestation by June 30, 2026, and promptly appearing as a job circular on the website of the state-run Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL). An official from BOESL, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that High Commissioner Naureen Ahsan consistently pressured and pursued the agency to expedite this specific recruitment process, further intensifying allegations of discrimination and institutional favoritism.

Further compounding the controversy, a proprietor of a recruiting agency alleged anonymously that securing the High Commissioner’s signature on demand letters typically requires an under-the-table payment of 200 to 300 Brunei Dollars per worker. Firms refusing to comply see their files shelved indefinitely or left completely inactive. The source also mentioned that the High Commissioner’s name has recently circulated regarding a luxury flat booking in Dubai, though these allegations could not be independently verified. Furthermore, leaders of the Brunei chapter of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) noted that Ahsan was promoted to Additional Secretary on June 24, 2024, during the previous Awami League administration before taking up her diplomatic posting. They complained that her tenure has been marred by administrative negligence and a lack of accountability, causing extreme delays even in basic consular services for expatriates.

Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data reveals that 77,958 Bangladeshi workers migrated to Brunei between 1992 and January 2024. However, the manpower flow plummeted drastically in the post-pandemic era. While Brunei previously absorbed an average of 5,000 Bangladeshi workers annually, a mere 2,597 workers were sent in total across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years, marking one of the worst periods for the market.

Although BOESL has recently initiated renewed steps to send skilled and unskilled workers under G2G arrangements for construction, culinary, hospitality, and carpentry sectors, labor market analysts fear these initiatives will collapse unless transparency and embassy-level coordination are restored. Analysts emphasize that a contracting remittance market deeply impacts national foreign exchange reserves, rural economies, and poverty alleviation.

Meanwhile, despite multiple attempts to contact High Commissioner Naureen Ahsan and the Bangladesh High Commission in Brunei for their comments on these documented allegations, no response was received by the time of publication.

Expatriates and stakeholders hope for an impartial probe into the allegations to restore Bangladesh's tarnished reputation in the Brunei labor market.

She was not available for comments.