Human trafficking trial to begin in Nelson

Photo / File

The trial of the first people charged in New Zealand with people trafficking starts tomorrow.

Satnam Singh, Jaswinder Singh Sangha, and a third man with name suppression will be tried in the High Court at Nelson.

After their arrest in August last year, the three men were the first people here to be charged with people-trafficking.

The trial before Justice Robert Dobson and a jury will commence after jury selection and pre-trial formalities happened on Friday at the Bridge St courthouse.

It's expected to be a long trial, with extensive language translation requirements and dozens of witnesses.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) alleged the trio were involved in trafficking 18 Indians to work in horticulture.

Singh and Sangha wera arrested in the Motueka area, an important agricultural region north of Nelson.

The third man was arrested in Auckland the same day.

Satnam Singh and Jaswinder Singh Sangha faced charges under the Crimes Act of arranging the entry of people into New Zealand by coercion or deception.

Sangha was also charged under the Immigration Act with providing false information.He and the third man also faced charges of knowingly producing a false or misleading document to an immigration, visa, or refugee status officer.

In September, all three men pleaded not guilty in Nelson District Court.

They were bailed but ordered to surrender their passports.

The most serious charges, of arranging the entry of people by deception, carried a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in jail, a fine of $500,000, or both.

Last year, the High Court at Wellington heard the trial would involve witnesses flying from India to give evidence.

At the time of the arrest, INZ alleged the 18 Indian men were brought to New Zealand to work in the horticulture industry in 2008-09.

The trafficking charges were the first to be laid in New Zealand, INZ's Peter Devoy said at the time.