Not Guilty Verdicts on NZ’s First Human Trafficking Trial
Nelson High Court

At 10:30am Sunday 20 December 2015 the jury came back with a verdict in New Zealand's first human trafficking trial at the Nelson High Court. As the first charge was read out and the foreman replied with the jury’s first verdict there was understandably a nervous tension in the courtroom.

It came as a disappointing blow to the Crown Prosecution and to Immigration New Zealand that the first ten charges were returned NOT GUITLY for both Jaswinder Singh Sangha (10 counts) and his brother Satnam Singh (5 counts). These charges are in relation to the Crimes Act where Jaswinder and Satnam were charged with bringing Indian Nationals into New Zealand by deception. In other words they were accused of trafficking these people into New Zealand.

The eleven charges of knowingly supplying a refugee status officer with false information, under the Immigration Act was different. Jaswinder Singh Sangha and Kulwant Singh (who previously had name suppression) were found GUILTY on all counts and will be sentenced 29 January 2016.

Stand Against Slavery Chief Executive, Peter Mihaere, who has been an observer for the entire trial, while disappointed with the trafficking verdicts suggested that “this became a case of insufficient corroborating evidence to convict beyond reasonable doubt.” He quickly added, “But please hear me. I think the work that was done by people like Michael Hogan and Immigration New Zealand’s serious crime unit, in trying to pull together the evidence for this case was significant, but was it enough? Did Hogan have enough resources at his disposal to corroborate the statements that he gathered from those who believed they were trafficked into New Zealand for a price? Or did a person who helped these men in 2011 with dubious intent by creating an elaborate tale enabling the complainants an opportunity to stay in New Zealand dupe Immigration NZ, as the defence counsel of Jaswinder Singh Sangha suggests? I guess we will never really know, but it was enough for the jury to come back with not guilty verdicts for Jaswinder and Satnam.”

“The eleven guilty charges on Jaswinder and Kulwant were clearer and attention will now be on the level of sentencing that will be awarded to them in January. Both defendants are on bail and have been issued fresh warrants to continue to have their passports surrendered. Justice Dobson also instructed their wives to surrender their passports mitigating any possibility of them being a flight risk.”

Mihaere went on to add, “while it will take some time for the very dedicated team of investigators and prosecutors to come to terms with the trafficking verdicts I urge New Zealand to place a marker in the ground today. Officials may have lost this battle, but they will arise to fight another battle, and another, learning from each one to create traction on the war against exploitation, slavery and human trafficking here in Aotearoa New Zealand. If nothing else, let it be a warning to would-be-exploiters, we are coming to get you and we will not let this verdict curb us from fighting for a slave free New Zealand.

“I would add a request to the New Zealand Government, ‘the best way you can demonstrate you are serious about combatting exploitation here in New Zealand is by putting more serious resources into equipping agencies for their task, and partnering with civil society.’”

--ENDS—

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