Italian man convicted in Singapore for trafficking woman into Dubai sex work scheme

A Singapore court has convicted an Italian national of human trafficking after finding he deceived a woman into engaging in sex work in Dubai under the false promise of marriage.

Achraf Arjaouy, 31, was found guilty of recruiting a person by deception for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

The victim’s identity remains protected under a gag order.

The prosecution established that Arjaouy targeted the woman through online dating platform Tinder, presenting himself as a wealthy pilot from Qatar who intended to marry her.

Deception and exploitation uncovered

According to court proceedings reported by state media CNA, Arjaouy persuaded the woman, who was aged between 30 and 31 at the time, that she needed to show US$10,000 as proof of funds to enter Qatar.

He then instructed her to travel to Dubai and engage in sex work to raise the required amount.

The court heard that he collected her earnings daily.

While the woman initially found the idea of sex work revolting, she ultimately agreed, believing it was the only way to secure a future with him.

The arrangement continued until mid-September 2021, when she contracted a sexually transmitted disease. She subsequently ceased sex work and returned to Singapore months later.

Timeline and arrest

The woman’s mother had earlier sought assistance from the Singapore police in April 2021 when her daughter first travelled to Dubai.

Arjaouy was later arrested in Singapore in November 2023 for an unrelated offence, which eventually led to the trafficking charge being brought before the court.

He has been remanded for approximately five months after allegedly assaulting his female bailor. Several additional charges remain pending.

During the trial, the defence challenged the victim’s credibility, arguing that her behaviour was inconsistent with that of a genuine trafficking victim.

District Judge Eugene Teo firmly rejected this claim, describing it as rooted in outdated stereotypes.

“Objectively, that argument draws its strength from standing on top of a stereotype that real victims can be expected to behave or react in a certain way,” the judge said.

He added: “The fact of the matter is that human beings react in a multitude of ways to any given situation.”

The defence also argued that the woman’s physical appearance made it unlikely she could have succeeded in sex work.

Judge addresses appearance-based claims

The court dismissed this argument as both objectionable and factually unsound.

“Putting aside the objectionable nature of that argument for the moment, it is objectively an argument which draws its strength from standing on top of the proposition that only particular physical properties are capable of being attractive,” Judge Teo said.

He continued: “That proposition is also simply not true.”

The judge highlighted the diversity of human preferences, stating there is no universal standard of beauty.

“The simple fact of the matter is humanity’s diversity in taste runs very wide and there is no accounting for it,” he said.

Evidence supports conviction

Judge Teo found that the prosecution’s case, which relied primarily on the woman’s testimony supported by incriminating text messages, was credible and consistent.

He ruled that there was sufficient evidence to prove every element of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

The court therefore convicted Arjaouy, rejecting all key defence arguments.

The judge has directed both the prosecution and defence to submit arguments on sentencing.

Arjaouy is scheduled to return to court in July for sentencing.

If convicted under the relevant law, he faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$100,000, and up to six strokes of the cane.

Defence lawyers Joel Quek and Samuel Teo from WongPartnership clarified in court that certain arguments raised during proceedings were made by the accused personally and not by legal counsel.