Former secretary of state jailed for trafficking of 300 women

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday jailed a former Social Affairs Ministry secretary of state and his nephew for 15 years in connection with the trafficking of nearly 300 women to work as maids in Saudi Arabia. Presiding Judge Koy Sao identified them as Ahmad Yahya and his nephew Ismael Pin Osman, a former official at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

Both were charged following complaints filed by two victims, Eang Pov, 38, and Lah Nary, 22. Judge Sao noted that Mr Yahya was also president of Accent Group, a company that facilitated migrants to work in Saudi Arabia.

He said both men were found guilty of unlawful removal for cross-border transfer under Article 11 of the Cambodian Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Judge Sao said both men recruited nearly 300 women, some of whom were underage, via Mr Yahya’s company from 2004 to 2017 and sold them for $20,000 each to employers in Saudi Arabia to work as maids.

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