The Department under the Prosecutor General’s Office identified a criminal group which, according to the investigation, included former officials of the Agency for External Labor Migration, representatives of private employment agencies, and other individuals. They are accused of organizing a corruption scheme related to sending citizens to South Korea as labor migrants.

As the investigation established, those detained illegally received a total of $263.5 thousand from 35 citizens. At the same time, in addition to official payments, citizens were allegedly fraudulently charged amounts ranging from $7,000 to $12,000. As a result, the total amount of illegally obtained funds, according to law enforcement estimates, could have been around $90 million.

At present, based on complaints from more than 600 citizens who were never sent to work in South Korea, the amount of damage is being determined and measures are being taken to recover it.

It is separately reported that former employees of the Agency for External Labor Migration, representatives of private employment agencies, and other individuals received $580,000 for promising to send 230 citizens to South Korea, as well as $5.6 million—from 1,000 citizens who had already been sent. For these episodes, the amount of illegally obtained funds, according to the figures provided, totaled $45 million.