A court in New Zealand has found a Samoan-born chief guilty of more than 20 charges of dealing in slaves and human trafficking.<\/p>\n
Joseph Auga Matamata, 65, was convicted of offences over a 25-year period.<\/p>\n
His victims, who were all Samoan, were too scared to alert the authorities because of his status as a matai or chief, the court heard.<\/p>\n
Each of the 13 slavery charges on which he was convicted carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.<\/p>\n
Matamata faces up to 20 years in jail or a fine of nearly US$300,000 for the human-trafficking convictions. Sentencing will take place on 6 May.<\/p>\n
Matamata, a horticultural contractor, was convicted of 10 counts of trafficking and 13 counts of slavery which took place between 1994 and 2019.<\/p>\n
He had promised his 13 Samoan victims, the youngest of whom was 12, a better life, the prosecution told the High Court in Napier, where the five-week trial was held.<\/p>\n
Most came on three-month holiday visas and some ended up staying for years. They worked long hours for no pay and were often beaten.<\/p>\n
He promised them “big money” by Samoan standards but ended up taking the cash they earned at orchards and other work sites, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
It is the first time someone has been charged with both slavery and human trafficking in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"