Trio’s sentences cut in S Arabia trafficking plan

TWO Pakistani men and a Cambodian woman who were planning to traffic Cambodians into the Saudi Arabian sex trade in 2016 yesterday saw their sentences reduced by one year and more than three years, respectively, at the Appeals Court.

Judge Sin Visal said the reason was that prosecutors believed suspects Niaz Ahmed, 55, and his son, Yazeo Ahmed, 24, were not lying when they said the victims were not coerced. Bin Nhor, 65, who brought Cambodian women to Phnom Penh to meet Niaz Ahmed, also insisted there was no coercion. Nhor’s testimony to police and the court was consistent with that of the victims.

The court also found the suspects had only planned the trafficking, which did not take place, prompting a reduction in the charge.

On August 21, 2016, Nhor brought three Cambodian women and one man to meet Niaz Ahmed at the old night market, but authorities arrested them while they were in a tuk-tuk, according to a police report.

“Niaz Ahmed andYazeo Ahmed were sentenced to seven years in prison by the lower court, but the punishment is now reduced to six years, and the charges were changed from . . . ‘unlawful removal for cross-border transfer’ . . . to ‘attempted unlawful removal for cross-border transfer’,” Visal said.

Nhor was sentenced to five years but her sentenced was reduced to 18 months after her charge, which was the same as the other two suspects’, was reduced to “accomplice”.