Case of woman charged with human trafficking related offences transferred to Suva High Court

The case of a woman who is charged with offences relating to human trafficking and obtaining property by deception has been transferred to the Suva High Court and will be called on the 3rd of next month.

Sisters, Seta Ram and Gita Ram have been jointly charged with 17 counts of Trafficking in Person.

Seta Ram is separately charged with 11 Counts of Obtaining Property by Deception and 1 Count of Money Laundering.

Her sister who is currently in Australia, has been charged with 5 counts of Obtaining Property by Deception and 1 count of Money Laundering in absentia.

The DPP lawyer has made an application before Magistrate Waleen George to issue a warrant for the second accused, Gita Ram to be produced in the High Court on the next date.

The prosecution has said that they will be working with INTERPOL to get the second accused in court.

All charges were read to the accused in the Hindi language and she said she understood all charges laid against her.

Magistrate George also said that the $52,000 that was involved in the case has not been recovered. The accused has been remanded in custody till the next date.

Magistrate George has asked that a formal bail application be made in the High Court.

The 31‑year‑old woman of Nasole, Nasinu and her sister allegedly facilitated the travel of 17 Fijian citizens who were exploited through slavery and became victims of human trafficking in Auckland, New Zealand and the alleged offence took place in 2014.

The two had been operating a travel agent business from Nina Street, Suva and are alleged to have placed an advertisement in one of the newspapers about employment opportunities in New Zealand.

Victims were allegedly exploited in New Zealand as the suspects organised and facilitated the exit of the victims from Fiji, and in facilitating the exit were reckless as to whether the victims will be exploited.

The victims were allegedly exploited through forced labour to work in unfavourable weather conditions, less or no wage and living conditions where male and female victims had to share one room.

Both suspects had remitted and received more than $83,000 to and from New Zealand from an accomplice Faroz Ali who was convicted in New Zealand for human trafficking offences with an imprisonment sentence of 9years and 6months.