A woman allegedly forced into prostitution testified that she used to offer sex against payment before being offered a job by a hotel manager who operated sex sites and who paid her €70 for sex the first time they met. 

The South American woman testified via video conferencing when proceedings kicked off on Monday against three men and a woman facing human trafficking charges after being identified as those who had forced the witness and her friend into prostitution while living off the earnings.

Roque Borg, a 51-year-old hotel manager from St Paul’s Bay, Sylvan Pace, a 48-year-old cab driver from Għarb, Jorge Emilio Herrera Mendez,a  33-year-old Columbian hotel room attendant and Amira Khadraoui, a 27-year-old Maltese national, are all pleading not guilty to various charges linking them to the Columbian and Venezuelan women who were their alleged victims.

One of those women, assisted by an interpreter, gave a lengthy account of how she had travelled to Malta in February “to have fun” and to meet a friend called “Jason”.

After first spending time at a quarantine hotel, she rented a Sliema apartment together with Jason, another South American woman and Emilio.

Being an “independent woman” she and the other alleged victim later moved to another apartment in St Paul’s Bay, sharing the rent between them while allowing Emilio to live with them since he claimed not to have enough money to pay the rent.

It was Emilio who later introduced her to “Ricky”, his employer at the hotel, who was willing to offer her work. 

'The first time he saw me, he paid me for sex'

“The first time he saw me, he paid me for sex. He gave me €70,” said the woman.

She explained that she previously used to work as an escort, having a string of international clients who would ask her to accompany them to particular events.

“I would accompany certain businessmen in Malta… not for sex. These were people I was in contact with for years. I sometimes went to London, Spain… You may even check my passport,” said the witness. 

However, under cross-examination by Borg’s lawyers, the witness said that she met “Ricky” for the first time to give “a service”, implying that she was into prostitution before she met the accused.

“I had done prostitution but I never advertised myself,” she explained, adding that just one week before meeting the accused at her St Paul’s Bay flat she had set up her own page on SexoMalta. 

If she went out with someone and he wanted to have sex, she would oblige “but only if he paid”.

Then she met Ricky.

€60 per half hour of 'basic' sex

Emilio had told her beforehand that Borg could offer her a job as prostitute and so, when the two met at her St Paul’s Bay flat, they first sat down at table and set out the terms of their agreement. 

She was to have free accommodation and food while working daily from 9am to 10pm, charging €60 for half an hour and double that amount for double the time.

Later, work hours were extended till midnight, said the woman, recalling how unlike the other alleged victim, she never got a day off and would service some five to seven clients in one day. 

But she firmly put down her work rules, insisting with Borg that she would only “do the basic”, would not tolerate kissing, anal sex or sex without a condom.

“If I said no, I meant no,” she stressed.

Ricky accepted her terms, even if occasionally expressed displeasure and once the agreement was concluded, he paid her €70 to have sex. 

She then moved into an apartment rented by Ricky and, along with the other South American woman, settled down to work.

Bookings were taken by “Sylvan, the bald guy” and Khadraoui, whom the witness did not know by name but repeatedly referred to as “King Kong”.

Those two would stand “guard” while the women worked.

Khadraoui and Borg allegedly set up a page advertising the services offered by the prostitutes, while Pace and Khadraoui took bookings and relayed clients’ requests, using Google translate to communicate with the Spanish-speaking women.

Once a client knocked at the door, she would show him into the room, ask for payment and immediately hand over the cash to the “guards".

Eventually, she began to “snatch” her half share of the money before going back to the waiting client, explained the witness. 

She said that she never “feared Ricky” and had no trouble with him, adding that he never threatened her with the pistol he used to carry in his suitcase along with documents and phone.

She did, however, recount one experience when Ricky demanded oral sex and when she refused he grabbed her and pushed down her head towards him, in spite of her struggles.

He then put on a condom, had sex with her and again paid €70.

As for “the bald one”, Pace apparently had not taken a liking to her and would react aggressively whenever she said she was tired and refused to take more clients.

Her relationship with “King Kong” was purely work-related but had turned sour when the witness decided to quit and move out of the flat.

Khadraoui allegedly tried to block her, taking her luggage and telling her that she owed some €600.

When the alleged victim refused to hand over the money and moved out nonetheless, a string of threatening messages followed.

'Disrespectful dog'

“I’m serious. Blocking me doesn’t stop me from doing what I said… there are many ways… you cannot run,” went the line of messages.

“You’re a disrespectful dog,” another message read. 

 Asked how Emilio featured in all this, the witness said: “nothing”.

Asked by prosecuting Inspector Joseph Busuttil, the woman confirmed that it was Emilio who first introduced her to Ricky.

But the threatening messages filled her with fear.

“I even told them I was going to call the police. I didn’t do it. I was scared for my life. I didn’t want to enter into trouble. I did not want to harm anyone. I was scared when I began to receive messages.”

At the end of the lengthy testimony, the court, presided over by magistrate Astrid May Grima, upheld a request by Borg’s lawyers, granting him bail against a deposit of €5,000, a personal guarantee of €15,000, daily signing of the bail book and a curfew between 7pm and 6am.

The other three co-accused did not file an application for bail. 

The case continues.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri were counsel to Borg.  Lawyer Martin Fenech was counsel to Pace and Herrera Mendez. Lawyer Martin Farrugia was counsel to Khadraoui. AG lawyers Darlene Grima and Ramon Bonett Sladden assisted the prosecution. Lawyers Lara Dimitrijevic and Stephanie Caruana appeared parte civile.