52 pc of recruitment fraud cases solved
The Department of Foreign Employment has solved about 52.25 per cent fraud cases filed at the department in the first eight months. About 1‚426 fraud cases — 602 institutional and 824 individual — were filed with claims of around Rs 771.21 million.
According to the department‚ two-thirds of the fraud claims were against individuals or agents‚ who have cheated around Rs 531.63 million from foreign job aspirants‚ said an officer at the department.
Of the total number of cases‚ the department solved 312 cases in the presence of petitioners and opponents‚ while 116 cases were forwarded to the Foreign Employment Tribunal. The cases filed at the Employment Tribunal are worth Rs 318.35 million.
The department also compensated victims from the guarantee fund of outsourcing agencies. About 745 people got immediate compensation from the fund. They received around Rs 65.76 million‚ he said. The department had started the compensation process last year.
Fraud in the outsourcing sector had increased in fiscal year 2011-12 due to prolonged instability and people’s dependency on foreign jobs. About 2‚172 fraud cases were recorded in the year and two-thirds were committed by individual agents. The number of outsourcing fraud cases was at around 1‚370 in the previous year.
Currently‚ the department has been addressing fraud cases by dividing it into three categories — individual‚ organisational and related to foreign nationals or agencies. “It has significantly increased the performance of the complaint handling section‚” said director of the department Yograj Baral.
The non-governmental sector has been providing legal aid to victims. About 450 victims have taken legal aid in the first five months of the current fiscal year. It has been helping the Department of Foreign Employment analyse cases prepared by lawyers which is more logical and systematic than those prepared by victims.
The department has been investigating around 385 outsourcing agencies in different charges. “Most charges are related to false promises and fraud‚” he said.
Published on: 4 April 2013 | The Himalayan Times
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