Businessman Accused Of Modern Day Slavery

A well-known businessman on Montserrat was on Tuesday January 21st 2020 slapped with two criminal charges for treating his employee as a modern day slave. The proprietor of a leading Indian Supermarket on Montserrat, Ashok Sadhwani was charged with two counts of dealing in slavery and another count of unlawful compulsory labour.

The penal code of Montserrat defines a slave as a person who is subject to debt bondage which occurs when that person is forced to work for little or no wage to pay off a debt.

Section 138 of the Penal Code Amendment Act of 2010 states that a person on Montserrat who employs or uses any person as a slave or permits any person to be so employed or used, commits the offence of dealing in slavery. The section also applies to a person who detains, confines, imprisons, carries away, removes, receives, transports, imports, or brings into any place whatsoever any person as a slave or to be dealt with as a slave.

If found guilty, the maximum sentence for the offence is life imprisonment.

The other charge of unlawful compulsory labour pertains to any person who unlawfully compels any other person to labour against the will of that other person, and carries a maximum of 5 years in jail.

The offences are indictable and will have to go before a judge and jury to be heard.

Sadhwani locally known as ‘Ashoks’ appeared before the Magistrate on Tuesday where he was charged and offered bail in the sum of 15,000 dollars. He would appear in court again on February 4th. Ashoks was arrested last Friday questioned and released without charge pending further investigation.

He was re-arrested and charged on Tuesday.