Dangerous connections at the Embassy of the Republic of Bangladesh in Bucharest

The shortage of labor in the Romanian market, especially in fields that require unskilled or low-skilled labor, coupled with the increase in the minimum wage in recent years, has made Romania an interesting alternative for migrant workers from Southeast Asia. Around 35,000 of the Asian workers in Romania come from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and it is estimated that another 25,000 are awaiting work visas. Bangladesh is not only a source of cheap labor, but due to the rising costs of textiles in Turkey and the overregulation of imports from China, the Asian country has become attractive to Romanian business people in the domestic textile industry, with visa applications steadily increasing.

The diplomatic representation of Bangladesh in Bucharest, led by Ambassador Ali Daud since 2020, plays an important role in facilitating these two flows. However, according to reports from Dhaka Tribune, the Embassy does not always function as a facilitator. The article recently reported on the problems that Romanian business people can encounter when applying for visas. One proposed solution is simplifying or even lifting the visa regime for Romanians. India, for example, only requires Romanian citizens to obtain electronic visas.

A Million-Dollar Business

Read more about

The Essential IT Services Every Business Needs (and How an MSP Can Help)

read more

The process of obtaining Romanian visas is not without its challenges either. Romania does not have a permanent consular representation in Dhaka. In 2022, following a bilateral agreement between the foreign ministries of the two countries, Romania had a temporary consular mission in Dhaka, which issued over 5,200 visas during its three-month operation, most of which had been pending for several years. This year, the temporary consular mission only lasted for one month. In the absence of a permanent consulate, Bengalis wishing to work in Romania must rely on the consular services of the Romanian Consulate in New Delhi, India. In addition to consular fees and travel expenses, they reportedly pay commissions of over $500 each for the opportunity to work in Romania. These fees are collected officially or unofficially by recruitment firms in Bangladesh. With 10,000 visas, these commissions alone amount to over $5,000,000, attracting various dubious characters to a business that involves not only recruiting workers and obtaining visas but also identifying available jobs in Romania, an activity that has never been without problems. A relevant example is the case of businessman Vivian Oancea, who was initially sentenced to 7 years in prison and ordered to pay €87,000 in damages for allegedly subjecting five Bengali citizens to slavery, according to Adevărul. Oancea seems to be close to Asian diplomatic representatives in Romania, often photographed in the company of ambassadors from Indonesia and Malaysia, countries that are sources of labor. In 2020, as vice president of the obscure Romania-China Friendship Association, Oancea was part of an official delegation of four Asian ambassadors – Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan – to the Vaslui and Iași counties. In Vaslui, he was received by Dumitru Buzatu, the recently arrested president of the County Council, who kept the visit away from public scrutiny for unknown reasons.

Oancea celebrating the National Day of Banghladesh at the Embassy

Vivian Oancea with H.E. Ali Daud at the Bangladesh Embassy

Oancea visiting Vaslui County with H.E. Ali Daud and the now arrested politician Dumitru Buzatu

The Controversial Businessman is Protected by Asian Embassies

In March 2022, Vivian Oancea was present at the celebration of Bangladesh National Day, and from the photos published on his personal Facebook page (see photo gallery), he not only appears to be close to Ambassador Ali Daud but also the host of the event. Ambassador Daud, who seems to ignore Oancea’s criminal record, introduced the businessman to Bangladesh’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, A.K. Abdul Momen, when he visited Bucharest in 2021. Oancea’s story becomes more complicated in the summer of 2022 when he was definitively sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in prison. Reporters from Antena 3 found Oancea, already a criminal, in Jakarta, Indonesia, and alerted the authorities who had placed him on the international wanted list. Journalists say that Oancea is a well-known figure who can open many doors, including those of heads of state, politicians, academics, and especially ambassadors of Asian countries in Romania. An illustrative example of this is his very close relationship with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ali Daud. At this moment, despite his definitive conviction in Romania, Oancea poses as a prosperous businessman in the United Kingdom, where he “disappeared” after initially being detained by Indonesian police.

Labor import into Romania is on the rise, and it is essential for this process to be transparent and well-regulated. One of the phenomena in recent years is that Romania is used as a transit country for Asian migrant workers. Specifically, they obtain work visas for Romania, paying substantial commissions to dubious recruiters like Vivian Oancea, who are allegedly protected by certain authorities, and then they flee from their jobs in Romania to Western Europe, where they can earn more. This creates a series of problems for both employers and Romania on the European stage.