Leisure Clothing directors jailed for six years for human trafficking
Two directors of the now-shuttered textiles factory Leisure Clothing have been jailed for six years each after a court of appeals found them guilty of human trafficking.
Leisure Clothing’s managing director Han Bin and marketing director Jia Liu, both Chinese nationals, were given six-year jail terms on Friday and escorted out of court to Corradino Correctional Facility.
The two exploited Vietnamese and Chinese employees of the Bulebel-based factory, paying them a pittance while forcing them to work long days with few to no breaks, in poor conditions.
Leisure Clothing was a major textile manufacturer in Malta, sewing garments for high-end labels such as Emporio Armani and Karen Millen. Owned by Chinese firm CICET, it shut down in 2017 following the arrest of the two directors.
A magistrate’s court had initially found Bin Han guilty and acquitted Jia Liu. But Bin Han, who also has Maltese nationality, was given a suspended sentence, meaning he did not spend time behind bars.
The Attorney General had appealed that decision.
On Friday, a court of criminal appeal presided over by Edwina Grima found in favour of prosecutors, ruling that the two company directors were guilty and...