An Indonesian woman who served as a care worker for an elderly man in Sliema was forced to eat a spoonful of salt for cooking salty food, a court heard yesterday.

Shocking details of the abuse suffered by Oriance Kelin emerged during the first sitting in a police case against her former employer, Harish Daswani, 38, who was born in St Julian’s but is of Indian descent.

He is pleading not guilty to human trafficking with the intent to exploit Ms Kelin on June 8 and in the previous months, threatening her and breaching employment laws.

The court heard she was never paid for her work and received only €6 “pocket money” in a year to go out on two Sundays.

Ms Kelin was too scared to go to police after Mr Daswani, who has been granted bail, told her they would never believe her and that his family were rich and able to pay the police any amount they wanted, Police Inspector Sylvana Briffa, prosecuting, told Magistrate Aaron Bugeja.

The case only came to light when Ms Kelin met other housemaids at a supermarket and asked them for help, recounting how she had been beaten, had her head banged against a wall and her passport taken away.

The prosecuting officer said that Mr Daswani had admitted to shouting at her when she did something wrong but denied ever hitting her.

He told the police he employed her through an agency in Singapore. Her job was to look after his father and also cook and clean the family home.

‘Woman beaten, not paid’

Ms Kelin told the police she was never paid and had been contacted by the employment agency who said her employer was complaining about her performance.

She said she was beaten and had photos on her mobile phone to prove this. Furthermore, on one occasion she had been forced to eat a spoonful of salt when she cooked dinner for the family.

Her employer admitted with the police that he had never paid her any wages. However, he said he had paid more than 2,000 Singapore dollars through Western Union for her flights to Malta and to cover a loan she had.

He said she never gave him any bank details and she refused to be paid in cash when offered it.

The prosecuting officer said the accused handled all the documents for her to be brought to Malta and had informed the Employment and Training Corporation she was to be paid €700 a week.

Although the employer claimed he was not satisfied with her work he extended her contract verbally.

Mr Daswani’s wife, who was not named in court, was also questioned by the police and she contradicted what her husband had said. She said, the officer testified, that Ms Kelin had cooked for the family although the accused claimed she did not. He had also told the police his wife kept all the passports of the family, including Ms Kelin’s, but his wife denied it.

Ms Daswani also told the police that their previous care worker had left without telling anyone and her husband had filed a missing persons report.

Human rights lawyer Katrin Camilleri said she had been asked to help Ms Kelin. When the two met on June 8 the woman said she was badly treated by her employer and virtually kept as a prisoner.

Dr Camilleri testified she informed Ms Kelin she was free to leave her employer’s house if she wanted to and that, contrary to what the Daswani family told her, the police would help.

Lawyer Steve Tonna Lowell appeared for Mr Daswani.