KUALA LUMPUR: A married couple pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court here to charges of trafficking three local women to Yemen since May last year.
Mohd Azfar Abd Ghafar, 37, and Khadijah Yusoff, 31, faced charges of trafficking the women, aged 19, 27, and 38 years old, for exploitation at an unnumbered house in Tarim, Yemen, from May 25, 2023, to July 4 this year.
The charges fall under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, which provide for a maximum jail sentence of 20 years and fines if found guilty.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Amir Haniff Ahijman did not offer bail for the accused, citing the exploitation of three local women abroad as the reason.
"If the court wishes to exercise its discretion to offer bail, the prosecution suggests it be set at RM50,000 for each accused, with the additional conditions that their passports be surrendered to the court until the case concludes and that they report to the nearest police station monthly," he said.
Defence lawyer Datuk Adnan Seman, representing the couple, requested reduced bail, arguing that the couple's family was not well-off and relied solely on house rental income.
"I ask that my clients not be required to report to the police station; surrendering their passports to the court should suffice," he added.
Judge Rosli Ahmad set bail at RM30,000 for each accused, with one surety each, and imposed the additional conditions requested by the prosecution.
The case mention is set for Dec 16. – Bernama
