News

Fijian national sentenced for people trafficking

December 18, 2016 5:14 pm

Fijian national, Faroz Ali has been sentenced to nine years-six months imprisonment after being convicted of people trafficking in New Zealand.

Ali, also known as Faroz Ali has New Zealand residence, and was also ordered by the High Court to pay a total of $28,167 reparation to his victims.

He was found guilty in September of 15 human trafficking charges involving Fijian nationals.

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He was also convicted on 15 charges of aiding and abetting a person to unlawfully enter New Zealand and one charge of aiding and abetting a person to remain unlawfully in New Zealand.

Ali had earlier pleaded guilty to 26 charges of helping people breach their visa conditions and exploiting them by not paying them the minimum wage and holiday pay.

The court heard that the Fijians were enticed to work in New Zealand after answering advertisements placed in Fijian newspapers by Ali’s Fiji-based wife and sister-in-law.

They were charged large sums of money but when they arrived in NZ they were forced to work illegally for long hours, live in cramped conditions and paid little, if anything.

All the Fijian nationals have now returned home.