A Sydney tradie has been charged with human trafficking after allegedly tricking his wife into travelling to Pakistan and abandoning her there without her passport.
Ali Rahimi was arrested on Wednesday morning following a nine-month investigation by the Australian Federal Police.
Ali Rahimi allegedly deceived his wife into travelling to Pakistan to visit family, before abandoning her there without her passport.Credit: Rhett Wyman
The 29-year-old has been charged with one count of exit trafficking, a form of modern slavery in which women are deceived or coerced into leaving Australia and prevented from returning, an offense which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years’ imprisonment.
Wearing a faded black jacket and grey shirt, the Auburn-based tiler was granted bail at Burwood Local Court on Wednesday afternoon.
Police will allege Rahimi told his wife they were travelling to his home country Afghanistan and then on to her home country Pakistan to see family in July 2023, and retained control of the pair’s tickets, passports and visas during the trip.
Rahami then allegedly said he was going back to Afghanistan to visit friends, leaving her in Pakistan without her passport. She later discovered in September 2023 that he had returned to Australia alone, police say.
The court heard his wife had undergone surgery and was also visiting her unwell mother.
Defence lawyer Lisa Dao argued the wife had the pair’s passports during their trip, and logistics had yet to be ironed out for her return to Australia.
“It was uncertain as to how long they were going for and from which country they were returning, so any return ticket or arrangements were to be made at a later date,” she said.
Dao said Rahimi had been aware of the investigation into him since police executed a search warrant on his home in December last year and had not interfered in the investigation.
“He’s chosen not to abscond, hasn’t committed any further offending ... knowing full well there was an investigation,” she said.
Ali Rahimi posted a photo of himself outside a Mosque in Iran to Facebook the same month he allegedly abandoned his wife in Pakistan without her travel documents.
She added if refused bail, he could spend up to 18 months in custody until a hearing date could be arranged.
Lawyer for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Nick Self opposed bail, arguing the Crown had a strong case thanks to messages recovered on phones, and that there was too great a risk of him interfering with witnesses and potential evidence.
“The maximum penalty for this offence is 12 years. The facts disclose serious offending,” he said.
Magistrate Jennifer Wong granted bail under strict conditions, including reporting at Auburn police station three times a week; not going near or try to contact his wife, except through lawyers; notifying the AFP seven days ahead of any planned domestic travel; and not going within 100 metres of international airports or other departure terminals.
AFP detective acting inspector Emmanuel Tsardoulias said exit trafficking was an insidious and often under reported criminal offence.
“No one has the right to force or deceive anyone to leave Australia, or to prevent them from returning against their will,” he said.
Only one person has been sentenced in Australia for exit trafficking.
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