BESTINET Sdn Bhd, the company embroiled in the Nepali worker scandal, has denied allegations that it was involved in money laundering or profiteered from processing migrant workers’ immigration documents.

Its director, V. Rathakrishnan, said the previous Barisan Nasional government capped the charges for each worker, and that all transactions and collections are accounted for.

“As for (the) money laundering (claims), the previous government agreed that we could collect RM100 in fees.

“The agent would bank it into our account, and we would then verify it and issue a receipt. We never collected cash,” he told reporters in Petaling Jaya today.

“We issued invoices, and it’s all in the books.”

Since May 16, Nepal has barred its citizens from working in Malaysia due to the high costs associated with immigration security clearance (RM105 per worker), biomedical screening coverage (RM100) and paperwork related to the one-stop centre run by private firm Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd.

Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran told Parliament earlier today that Nepal had cited allegations of money laundering linked to the Bestinet-handled Migrams biomedical screening programme, which is not approved by Kathmandu.

Rathakrishnan reiterated that Bestinet does not have direct contact with any recruitment agency.

“We are not involved with any recruitment agency, whether in the source country or Malaysia. We are just a medical systems provider.”

He said the company is ready should it be called up by the authorities to provide clarification regarding the allegations against it.

“There are a lot of false allegations against Bestinet, and we are more than happy to meet the minister (Kula) and cooperate.

“Everywhere, people are facing problems with undocumented workers.

“We can also present to the government a single platform (to discuss the issue).”

He added that the company is not involved with other firms providing services related to foreign workers.

“We are not a monopoly. We are not involved with other companies that provide calling visas, one-stop centres and immigration security clearance.

“Bestinet is only involved in health screening, to check for diseases. We charge a fee of RM100.”

As of June 30, Nepali workers formed 21.67%, or 378,577, of the nation’s 1.7 million foreign workers, Kula told Parliament.

The workers are brought into the country via a “special mechanism” within the Home Ministry’s Security and Public Order Department.

Bestinet lawyer N. Sivananthan said it is not true that Nepal had made claims of money laundering.

“The minister (Kula) was maybe misinformed.

“They (Bestinet) do health screenings, and it is for workers before they come to Malaysia.

“If people still hurl allegations, we have been instructed to take civil or criminal action, depending on the issue.”

He added that the company does not cheat foreign workers.

“Between the workers getting recruited by agents and them arriving in Malaysia… (in that period) we don’t know if they were cheated. (Bestinet) is not involved.” – July 31, 2018.