Allegations of Fraud and Financial Deception Against Alliance Consultancy

Serious allegations of fraud and financial deception have been raised against Alliance Consultancy, a firm that provides guidance for higher education abroad. A student has claimed that despite paying advance money for the New Zealand Manaki Scholarship, the consultancy’s intentional delay caused the application to fail. When the student demanded a refund, he faced harassment.

The victim student told The Daily Campus that in February to early March, the consultancy contacted him offering assistance for the Manaki Scholarship. They initially demanded Tk 10,000 as a file opening fee, which was later reduced to Tk 5,000. An additional Tk 2 lakh was agreed upon if the scholarship was secured.

The student paid the Tk 5,000 and submitted the required documents. However, communication from the consultancy became irregular, and they went on a long Eid vacation. The office reopened only five days before the application deadline. Although an application was submitted on 28 March, it was not according to the student’s preference. The consultancy claimed they had selected supposedly better options.

The student alleged that due to the consultancy’s deliberate delay, his application failed. When he asked for a refund, harassment began. At one point, the consultancy reportedly told him they had “eaten” the money. The student said the consultancy could not provide any proof of the valid application deadline for the Manaki Scholarship for Bangladeshi students, nor could they secure any offer letter. As a result, the application process could not start before the 30 March deadline.

Later, after the student complained to The Daily Campus, the consultancy returned the remaining money and requested not to pursue the matter further.

This incident has once again raised questions about the transparency, accountability, and ethics of education consultancy firms in the country.

When contacted for comment, Sajal Matbar, CEO of Alliance Consultancy, said that due to a high volume of applicants shifting to Level-3 in Australia, there was increased pressure on New Zealand applications, causing delays in offer letters. He claimed they had completed partial work including applications to five institutes and two universities. He said the student was asked to visit the office multiple times. Regarding the refund, he admitted that the accounts manager initially returned only Tk 4,000, but after the student initiated reporting the matter to the newspaper, the full amount was refunded.