A Fijian national with New Zealand residency convicted of human trafficking in New Zealand has been sentenced to nine years and six months in prison.
46-year-old Faroz Ali was the mastermind behind a trafficking scam that lured 15 Fijian workers into New Zealand with false promises of high wages and working visas.
Ali is found guilty of 15 people trafficking charges and 15 charges for aiding and abetting a person to unlawfully enter New Zealand.
In the Auckland High Court yesterday, Justice Paul Heath called people trafficking an abhorrent crime as he sentenced Ali to nine years and six months in prison and ordered him to repay the victims $28,167.
During the course of the trial in August, the jury heard how Ali, who was based in Auckland, and his wife and her sister, who were based in Fiji, had worked together over 18 months to lure workers to New Zealand and charged them up to $4000 each for administration fees, work visas, flights, accommodation and food expenses.
The workers only received a one month visitor visa and their rent and food costs were deducted from the minimal wages they received.
Once they arrived into Auckland they were forced to work illegally for long hours, sleep on the floor of overcrowded basements and were significantly underpaid ‑ with some not being paid at all.
Source: Newstalk ZB
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