Ringleader of migrant exploitation ordered to pay $80,000 in reparations to victims

A ringleader for migrant exploitation has escaped prison sentence after paying reparations worth $80,000 to his three victims.

Jafar Kurisi, also known as Ali or Tauranga Ali, received a reduced sanction of home detention for 12 months after making repayments, according to Immigration NZ.

Kurisi, who did not run a registered company and was not formally recognised as an employer, was found to have unlawfully employed migrants on Visitor Visas and continued to do so when those visas expired.

Two of his victims were paid between $12 to $15 an hour, way below the minimum wage of $18.90 at that time. They were also not paid for all hours worked.

The victims, who came forward with impact statements, further revealed that their pay got withheld and they were forced to sleep on the ground in a garage at the time of their employment.

Kurisi was charged with multiple migrant exploitation charges and attempting to pervert the course of justice, which he all admitted to in court.

But his sentence was reduced by 20% for his early guilty plea, and by another 25% for the reparation payment. His ill health and age were also considered during sentencing.

Steve Watson, MBIE's Immigration Compliance and Investigations General Manager, said he hopes the sentencing will act be a strong deterrent to other employers.

"I would also like to acknowledge the two victims who made statements for the court," Watson said in a statement. "They remained in New Zealand to see this through and can now put this chapter behind them, and finally return home knowing that Kurisi has been held to account."

This is not the first time that Kurisi was sentenced to a 12-month home detention. In 2017, he received a similar sentence after being ordered to pay $55,000 in reparations following a conviction on four migrant exploitation charges.