Man charged with human trafficking says being in jail is affecting his health

A man charged with a suite of offences which include people trafficking and money laundering claims that being in jail is having a detrimental effect on his health. 

Georgijs Poniza, 35,and co-accused, Armen Pogosyan, 28 both with an address at Assaroe Falls, Ballyshannon, were before Donegal District Court on Monday. The matter had been adjourned from Ballyshannon District Court the previous Tuesday, when new charges were brought against the pair who were already in custody on charges of people trafficking. 

Barrister Katherine Henry representing Poniza said her client wanted to know when the book of evidence would be ready. 

“My client is in custody since last October on these matters,” she said. 

“It is adjournment, adjournment, adjournment. There doesn’t seem to be any progress in these matters. He has health issues and is not receiving treatment.

“He had been told on several occasions that this will be ready and nothing has happened.”

Judge Ciaran Liddy said that with new charges having been brought, the state was entitled to 42 days to prepare the book of evidence. 

Ms Henry also asked that legal aid be extended to cover analysis and verification in relation to charges of using a false instrument. 

Judge Liddy agreed to extend legal aid for this purpose. 

Armen Pogosyan’s legal representatives were not in court. However, his solicitor Morgan Coleman communicated to the court via solicitor John Anderson that anything that was agreed for Ms Henry’s client should also apply to his client. 

The pair were remanded in custody to appear before Sligo District Court on May 2. They were offered the option of appearing by video link but chose to attend in person. 

Before the matter closed, Ms Henry repeated that her client was anxious to know when the book of evidence would be ready. 

Judge Liddy replied: “The state is entitled to 42 days and there is nothing you or I can do about it.”

On Tuesday, April 16, both men appeared before Ballyshannon District Court where they were hit with 16 new charges, including participation in organised crime.

The pair, lifted by cops after a complex probe into labour exploitation in Donegal, have also been charged with transferring over €338,400 in wages of the alleged victims to bank accounts in Latvia.

Poniza and Pogosyan are charged that, between December 4, 2020 and October 24, 2023, they participated in the activity of a criminal organisation.

The charge, contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006, is that they, for the purpose of enhancing the ability of the criminal organisation to commit a serious offence, human trafficking, for the purpose of labour exploitation within the State, did knowingly by an act, traffic persons other than a child, participate to an activity of that organisation.

Poniza and Pogosyan have been charged with two counts of trafficking a person for the purpose of exploiting those persons. These charges, which relate to two victims, are contrary to Section 4 (1) (a) (b) and (c) and 4 (7) of the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act, 2008

They are charged with handling, possessing and using property that was the proceeds of criminal conduct, namely €202,621, the source of which was the wages of employees including the victims.

The pair face a similar charge relating to an amount of €135,781.82 that represented the wages of employees including the victims while knowing that the property was the proceeds of criminal conduct.

They were further slapped with a money laundering charge over €14,486.57 in a Bank of Ireland bank account.

The men are each charged with money laundering in relation to the transfer of €8,320 to a Swedbank account in Latvia and the transfer of €2,410 to another Swedbank account in Latvia.

They also face eight charges relating to making a false instrument, an Electric Ireland utility bill, and using the bill, as well as opening diesel card and credit card accounts in the name of others with the intention of making a gain for themselves.

The two men were first arrested last October and detained for questioning at Ballyshannon Garda Station following a lengthy investigation. 

Detectives, accompanied by international colleagues, swooped on the pair after a large-scale investigation into the alleged trafficking of persons into Ireland for the purpose of labour exploitation.Europol officers were in Donegal during the international Law Enforcement Operation, which involved a Joint Investigation Team that was established in conjunction with Law Enforcement in Latvia.An Garda Síochána’s Human Trafficking Investigation and Coordination Unit (HTICU) at GNPSB, the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB), Garda Mutual Assistance Section and the Garda Síochána Analysis Service (GSAS) were all involved in the probe.

Initially, each man was charged with four counts of human trafficking and one count of money laundering. Poniza was charged with being in possession of €51,100 which was the proceeds of criminal conduct and Pogosyan faced a similar charge in respect of €14,060.

Each of the men has surrendered his passport. They have been remanded in custody with consent to bail. Only the High Court can hear a bail application in respect of the organised crime charge.

Previously, bail bonds of €10,000 and independent sureties of €20,000 were placed on the accused men.