New details emerge about MP Shahid’s dealings and businesses in Kuwait

New details on Mohammad Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul’s dealings and businesses in Kuwait have shown how the Bangladeshi MP was able to continue an ‘illegal permit trading scheme’ involving migrant workers without arousing suspicion.

He used a distinctive licence for general trading and contracting to enter the gold and carpet business besides his four labour-contracting and cleaning companies, reported Al Qabas newspaper on Thursday.

The commercial licence allowed him to trade in everything from Kuwait, from children’s toys to antique carpets.

The licence also gave him access to not only governmental cleaning contract but rather many governmental contracts from construction and electric work to agriculture and car rentals.

By obtaining this licence, he was able to hide behind government contracts and bring in more workers without any legal obstacles, the newspaper reported citing a source.

By entering the gold and carpet business, Shahid was able to continue his illegal permit trading scheme without raising suspicion because of the high value earned from his other business dealings.

Cleaning companies are one of the easiest methods of bringing in foreign labour.

Al Qabas reported, for example, that some governmental contracts are drawn up so that there are 500 employees, working as cleaners, but actually only 100 workers directly work for the company.

The rest are usually left to find work on their own and are considered “marginal workers”.

In the context of Kuwait, “marginal workers” are those that do not have a fixed job or company job, rather they find work whenever and wherever they can.

Many are caught in the web of illegal permit trading, as they purchase a permit, usually around 1,500 Kuwaiti dinars, with the hopes of finding a job and making a living in Kuwait.

Although cleaning companies, like Shahid’s, are in the business of illegal permit trading, Shahid brought in foreign labour under various other companies.

The newspaper says 20,000 Bangladeshi workers were brought to Kuwait, by Shahid, in exchange for more than 50 million Kuwaiti dinars.

Shahid is being accused of bringing in thousands of Bangladeshis into Kuwait in exchange for money, usually ranging around 1,500 to 2,000 Kuwaiti dinars, Al Qabas reported.     

The Bangladeshi MP has an annual net profit of around two million Kuwaiti dinars after all the bribes and money he spent on gifts in exchange for facilitating transactions and paperwork to bring in workers from Bangladesh.