BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): A 44-year-old Bangladeshi national, Mahedi Hasan, was sentenced to five years in prison, fined BND$50,000, and given six strokes of the cane for multiple human trafficking offences.
Mahedi pleaded guilty on 30 September 2025 to three counts of trafficking in persons, with offences committed in 2018 and 2019 under the Trafficking and Smuggling of Persons Order, 2004, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, Chapter 230. The prescribed penalties for such crimes include up to 30 years’ imprisonment, fines of up to BND1 million, and whipping.
Delivering the sentence, Judicial Commissioner Muhammed Faisal bin PDJLD DSP Haji Kefli noted that Mahedi’s crimes involved serious aggravating factors. Victims were lured with false promises of stable, well-paid employment in Brunei, had their passports confiscated, and were forced to pay monthly fees under the guise of legal or repatriation requirements. Many were deployed to various workplaces with little or no salary.
“The offences were part of a calculated, repeated pattern of criminal conduct over a significant period, exploiting multiple victims who had placed their trust in the Defendant,” the court highlighted. The Judicial Commissioner added that Mahedi’s actions also undermined the integrity of Brunei’s labour and immigration systems.
The Public Prosecutor was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutors Hajah Siti Mu’izzah Sabli and DPP Syazwani Jumat, while Messrs Daud Ismail & Company represented the defendant. - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
