Sources from New York have stated that a high ranking Bangladeshi diplomat based in New York, accused of forcing his servant to work for up to 18 hours a day without pay, was charged on Monday with labor trafficking and assault. Shahedul Islam, Bangladesh’s Deputy Consul General in New York, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
It was stated that for his bail, which was set at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash, Bangladesh’s Consul General in New York Shameem Ahsan, other colleagues and relatives arranged a $50,000 bond. But it will take a day for him to be released.
Meanwhile Shahedul, 45, brought another Bangladeshi, Mohammed Amin, to the
United States between 2012 and 2013 to work for his family in Queens as a
household helper, an arrangement common among South Asian diplomats.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement that “Soon after Mr. Amin’s arrival, the defendant allegedly took his passport and required the man to work 18 hours a day. Even though Mr. Amin had a contract which outlines his compensation, it is alleged he was never paid for his work". Shahedul has limited diplomatic immunity and was ordered to surrender his passport when he appeared before Queens Supreme Court Justice Daniel Lewis, Brown said in a statement.
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