Warned court let notorious human trafficker flee

A man convicted of human trafficking in the Netherlands was given a week's leave to visit his newborn baby. Now Interpol is looking for him.

Even a serious criminal should be able to visit his newborn daughter, the justices of the appeals court in Arnhem must have thought. There are no regulations stipulating when a prisoner may or not be granted leave. The justices considered the circumstances and consented to a week's leave for convicted human trafficker Saban B., who is serving a 7.5 year prison term.

The appeals court took into consideration that Saban B. (38) had already served more than half of his prison sentence while being held in pre-trial detention. And that his case would not be concluded until 2010 because of a pending appeal. Saban was convicted last year of leading an international criminal human trafficking network for years along with his older brother Hasan. The gang violently forced more its trafficking victims into prostitution.

In granting the leave, the appeals court went further than the public prosecution office which had consented earlier to two days' leave. And so Saban B. left prison on 7 September for a week. He was required to surrender his passport and report to the police on a daily basis.

Planning to flee

Two days later, on Wednesday 9 September, Saban was in custody again. The national investigative services had received indications that he was planning to flee abroad. The public prosecution office asked the appeals court to lift the provisional suspension. They wanted Saban B. back in prison. The appeals court refused to do so. It did not find that it had been demonstrated that Saban B. “had already violated the terms" of his leave at that time. Saban was once again allowed to leave. He reported to the police two days later, on Friday 11 September, for the last time.

The incident has led to bewilderment on a number of sides. Ineke Schmidt, director of the Coordination Point Human Trafficking (Comensha), said that the judges who approved the suspension evidently regard Saban B. as a pickpocket. "They haven’t the faintest idea of what human trafficking involves. Investigating officers have been trained in this area by now. Judges apparently have not.”

Parliament has demanded clarification from the minister of justice on Saban B.’s disappearance. Member of parliament Sybrand van Haersma Buma (Christian democrats) finds it difficult to understand why the judges decided that B. should be permitted a week’s leave, when police and the justice department had advised against it. “It is naive to think that this kind of criminal will follow the rules."

Violent and dangerous

Schmidt said the justices failed entirely to realise what consequences Saban's escape will have for the victims. "We have to fear for their lives now. One of the victims is in a witness protection programme. You aren’t given that kind of protection lightly, that shows how dangerous this man is."

That emerged during the trial last year as well. Saban and his older brother Hasan reportedly used violence to force more than one hundred women into prostitution. The women had to work every day, even if they had their period or were ill. A number of girls were forced to have the initials of one of the brother’s tattooed on their necks. Others were forced to undergo breast enlargement surgery. If a woman became pregnant, she was forced to have an abortion.

Saban had an enormous influence on the women. During the trial only a few victims were ultimately willing to testify, a number of women later revoked part of their testimony. One of the victims came across Saban in Alkmaar during his recent leave. She has since gone into hiding.

European arrest warrant

Saban married Steffi, one of his prostitutes, while already in prison. During the trial last year she sat in the public gallery and blew him kisses. She gave birth to Saban's child this summer.

The terrible thing about this, Schmidt said, is that counsellors try to persuade victims to file reports by telling them: Once these people are in prison, they are locked up. They can't say this anymore now of course.

Saban is presumed to have fled to Turkey, his country of birth. He is currently a wanted person internationally and a European arrest warrant has been issued.