High Court upholds jail sentence of man found guilty of forcing women into prostitution

The High Court has upheld a four-year jail sentence passed by the Criminal Court against a Maldivian man found guilty of forcing three Thai women into prostitution.

In August last year, Abdul Latheef Ali, 64, of Henveiru Philadelphi, was found guilty of running a brothel in the capital Malé and of forcing three female expatriates into prostitution after bringing them to the Maldives ostensibly to work as massage therapists.

Police raided the Sondobon Beauty Care Salon in Latheef’s residence and discovered a naked Maldivian man with a topless Thai woman.

Police found that Latheef had brought the three Thai women through the sponsorship of a company called Asparagus Private Limited, which was also owned by him.

The three women – aged 21, 24, and 36 – testified at the Criminal Court trial that they were hired as massage therapists but were told by Latheef upon arrival in the Maldives that their job description included providing sexual services to customers.

The women told the court that Latheef threatened to fire them and send back to Thailand if they refused to comply.

According to the women’s testimony, customers paid at the reception counter, which was handled by Latheef and a Bangladeshi man, and also paid the women when they were alone.

The women said they were required to give a certain amount of cash to Latheef every day, after which he paid them US$300 (MVR 4,600) a month.

The police officers involved in the raid also testified against Latheef and corroborated the testimony of the three women.

The police officers said Latheef was at the counter when they raided the salon and that he was watching footage from CCTV cameras set up outside, which showed the stairway leading to the salon.

The officers said they found a large stash of condoms, cash, and birth control pills when they searched the premises and noted the absence of cosmetic or beauty care items.

The three-judge High Court panel presiding over Latheef’s appeal ruled (Dhivehi) unanimously yesterday that there were no grounds to overturn the Criminal Court verdict as the evidence presented at the trial was sufficient to establish guilt.

The Maldives ratified its first Anti-Trafficking Act in December 2013, although local NGO Transparency Maldives noted that implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of laws and regulations are still crucial to prevent human trafficking.