Australia’s largest construction company, CIMIC, has been accused of underpaying hundreds of workers, subcontractors and banks in its troubled Middle East operations by more than $500 million in a scandal administrators warn could lead to criminal prosecution.

“With no salary and no health insurance, the workers are struggling to survive and cannot support their families in Qatar or in their home countries,”...

Some workers, who spent years with the company, are stranded in cramped rooms in labour camps, afraid to leave the premises because their visa and IDs have expired, and unable to return home because they have run out of funds. They have been waiting up to a year for months of unpaid wages and end of service entitlements after being made redundant or having resigned.

At least four workers attempted suicide.

Affected workers are from all over the world, including Australian expats.

CIMIC was sent a series of detailed questions which it declined to answer. In a statement, it said CIMIC “continues to actively work with the acquirer of BICC to ensure BICC meets its statutory obligation to its employees.”...

In November, at least 100 former employees decided to go public after failing to get answers from the company. They wrote to CIMIC’s CEO and chairman on LinkedIn in the hope their pleas for help would be heard...

To date, they have been offered no help.

Dozens of former workers...have reported the situation to the local courts. So far, 34 cases have been heard in Dubai and the plaintiffs have received judgments in their favour requiring BICC to pay overdue salaries, end of service benefits and compensation.

Contractors also claim they haven’t been paid for services and supplies.

There are claims of hundreds of other suppliers and subcontractors in Dubai, Qatar and Abu Dhabi who have not been paid for months or years. Most are too afraid to speak publicly.