Three deny organising brothel of foreign women

Three men were arraigned in court today to face charges of organising prostitution of foreign women.

John Saliba, 45 of Naxxar and Samuel Ritchie, 48 of Kappara were accused of human trafficking for prostitution. They and Jonathan Gilson, 27 of Paola were also accused of living off the prostitution of foreign women, organising a brothel and using a property as a brothel.

Saliba and Gilson were accused of using a property in Ghar il-Lembi Street, Sliema, as a brothel while Ritchie was accused of holding a person against her will and breaking the conditions of previous sentences.

All pleaded not guilty and were granted bail on a deposit of €5,000 and a personal guarantee of €5,000, among other conditions.

Inspector Louise Calleja prosecuted.

In a separate case, seven foreign women were accused of committing immoral acts in a public place. The women, who were Poles, Romanians and Hungarians, pleaded guilty and were granted bail for three months and fined €25.