Closing arguments wrap up in Sask. human trafficking trial

Two men on trial for human trafficking will have to wait until August to learn their fate.

During closing arguments in a Saskatchewan human trafficking trial, the Crown argued a Bangladeshi woman was controlled and exploited for cheap labour, while the defence argued she made up the allegations to stay in Canada.

RCMP charged Mohammad Masum and Sohel Haider in 2023, alleging they trafficked the woman to work in restaurants in Gull Lake, Tisdale and Elrose. Masum is also charged with three counts of sexual assault. The woman cannot be identified because of a publication ban.

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The trial, which began in September 2024, was held at the Rosetown Elks Hall but moved to Saskatoon provincial court for closing arguments Wednesday.

Court heard the woman came to Canada on a visitor visa and began applying for jobs while staying in Toronto. She came to Saskatchewan to work at Haider’s restaurant in Gull Lake after responding to a job posting.

She was later transferred to Masum’s restaurant in Tisdale and then to another restaurant operated by Haider in Elrose before being taken to a shelter, court heard.

Crown prosecutor Leslie Dunning argued the woman worked 12-hour days with little or no pay while the accused benefited from cheap labour.

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She said the woman endured months of psychological harm and isolation because the men controlled her employment, housing, immigration status and work permit.

In Masum’s case, Dunning argued, he also controlled her body.

Dunning said the woman was vulnerable because she was working in small towns without friends or family and could barely speak English.

Haider’s lawyer, Chris Gratton, argued it made little sense that his client would traffic the woman when he introduced her to his wife and members of the community and helped her through the immigration process, creating a paper trail with the government.

Gratton said the woman had access to her phone and was free to come and go as she pleased. He argued she was not helpless, noting she had worked for the Government of Bangladesh, held two master’s degrees and was well travelled.

He argued Haider had limited interaction with the woman because he was in Bangladesh dealing with a death in the family for much of the time she was in Gull Lake.

“There is no concrete evidence that he acted to exploit her,” Gratton told court.

Masum’s lawyer, Michael Owens, challenged the woman’s credibility, arguing she came to Canada hoping to stay long term and was not honest with the federal government when applying for a visitor visa.

Owens pointed to a video shown during the trial in which the woman appeared to grab a co-worker by the collar at the Tisdale restaurant. He argued she made the allegations only after the co-worker threatened to call police and she faced the possibility of having to leave Canada.

Dunning however, said the woman provided specific details and timelines and that four witnesses corroborated her account.

“It doesn’t make sense that she would make all this up,” she said in court.

Dunning also argued human trafficking can take many forms and is not limited to situations where someone is physically confined or restrained.

Judge Miguel Martinez reserved his decision until Aug. 7, saying he expects it to be the longest written decision of his career.