Fadley Faisal
Prosecutors yesterday indicted a 42-year-old Bangladeshi man for human trafficking.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Rozaimah binti Abdul Rahman, Aminuddin Zaki bin Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Rahman and Nor’adliatul Hidayah binti Haji Mohd Zaidi drafted the charges against Khairul Bashar in the High Court.
Judicial Commissioner Muhammed Faisal bin Pehin Datu Juragan Laila Diraja Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Kefli heard that Khairul Bashar allegedly committed two counts under Section 4 of the Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons Order 2004 for committing the offence of people trafficking.
Investigations conducted by the Human Trafficking Investigation Unit of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) revealed that the defendant is alleged to have trafficked two Bangladeshi nationals to Brunei Darussalam in 2018 through deception for the purposes of forced labour.
The instances having allegedly occurred in 2018, before the entry into force of the current Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Chapter 230, means the charges brought by the Public Prosecutor automatically falls under the Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons Order 2004.
The charges were read to and understood by the defendant and if found guilty of the offences, the defendant is liable to a fine not exceeding BND1,000,000, imprisonment for a maximum of 30 years and whipping.
The Court adjourned the case to April 11 to give way for prosecutors to finalise the charges.
