Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has intensified its special investigations to crack down on bogus foreign employment agencies countrywide on the directions of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The Special Investigation Division of the SLBFE will be conducting more raids this year to take legal action against foreign job agencies compiling counterfeit documents and aiding the emigration of female minors for employment purposes.
It has initiated special programme in the Bureau in accordance with a decision of the president for making necessary arrangements on various irregularities occurred in the field of foreign employment.
Thirty Six (36) employees including 17 police officers had been attached to this Unit. Two thousand four hundred and fifty two (2452) complaints had been lodged to the Unit in the year 2018 and investigation of 1,364 out of those complaints had been finalized.
Steps had been taken to refer 322 complaints to the Police Stations and 1088 complaints were being investigated even by 31 December 2018.
Two hundred and seventy four (274) complaints related to financial frauds amounting to Rs. 108.46 million committed by promising to provide foreign employment opportunities during the period of 13 months in the year 2017 and 2018 had been received to the Unit.
Those complaints had been referred to police stations after getting statements at the Special Investigation Unit as it was not possible to find written confirmations for such promises given for the provision of foreign employments.
Following up activities had not been carried out in relation to those complaints and it was not possible to minimize such irregularities occurred in the field of foreign employment merely by initiating the Unit.
(LI)