Lethbridge Courthouse file photo. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Accused in human trafficking case pleads not guilty

Jun 8, 2022 | 10:58 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Pleas of not guilty have been entered for an Alberta man charged in connection to a human trafficking investigation.

In Lethbridge Provincial Court on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, the lawyer for Mahmoud Neirabani, 21, entered not guilty pleas on two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count each of sexual contact with a child, sexual counselling of a child, sexual assault, sexual assault on a person under the age of 16, trafficking in persons, and two or more parties engaging in a sexual assault.

Neirabani has elected to have a judge-alone trial in Lethbridge Provincial Court.

The trial is expected to take three days, but dates have not been set yet.

Neirabani was one of 10 people charged in August 2021 following a joint investigation with the Lethbridge Police Service, RCMP, Calgary Police Service, and ALERT’s Human Trafficking Counter Exploitation unit.

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Similar steps have been taken for three others who are charged in related matters.

Meriton Krasniqi, 26, will have a one-day trial on September 9, 2022.

Khaled Alsaid, 22, will have two separate trials. The first will take place on September 19, 2022, while the second will run from December 21-23, 2022.

Ziyaad Noor, 38, has scheduled trial dates on January 11-13, 2023.