Around 90 percent male migrant workers fell victim of corruption in 2016, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said on Thursday.

“Destination country’s employers and recruiting agents with Bangladesh recruiting agents deal with the buying and selling of Visas,” TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman alleged while replying to a query at a programme held at MIDAS Centre in Dhaka.

The findings of the research titled, 'Governance in Labour Migration Process: Problems and Way forward' were disclosed at a press conference at TIB conference room in the capital 

Applicants had to pay Tk 13,000 to Tk 15,000 as bribe for approval of each application at Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, the TIB report said.

The ministry approved 61,122 applications in 2016, it said.

Accordingly, Over Tk 50 billion was laundered from the country last year to buy visas for male migrant workers.

Meanwhile, Tk 100-200 was paid as bribe for approval of each application at Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) which processed 7,57,731 applications in the same year, the TIB report added.

TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said the money is being sent abroad through illegal channels. In many cases, the money Bangladeshi workers earn abroad is used to buy visas and that is why the country is losing remittance.

“TIB did not contact me before release of the report,” Expatriate Welfare Minister Nurul Islam told the media while giving his reaction about the findings.

He said that he does not know about the allegations.