Saudi princess may face federal slavery charges: official

Saudi princess may face federal slavery charges: official

Agence France-Presse, Washington

United States authorities are investigating the possibility of charging a Saudi princess with enslaving her Indonesian maid, a Justice Department official said on Saturday.

Justice Department spokesman Dan Nelson confirmed an earlier report in the New York Times that an investigation was underway.

"Yes, we are investigating," the spokesman told AFP. "That report is accurate."

Princess Buniah al-Saud was arrested last month in Florida on a charge of aggravated battery after her maid went to police claiming the princess had pushed her down a staircase at the Orlando apartment where they lived.

The live-in maid, Ismiyati Memet Soryono, also told authorities that Princess Buniah had withheld her US$200 monthly salary and that she was continually beaten over a period of months and stayed on because there was nowhere else for her to go.

That may be enough to bring charges of involuntary servitude, said federal prosecutors who put an FBI investigator on the case.

Princess Buniah's Miami lawyer, Mark Schnapp, told The New York Times there is "absolutely no basis" for the investigation.

Soryono originally complained of being slapped and pushed against a wall.

Princess Buniah, 41, is a niece of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, but does not enjoy diplomatic immunity, U.S. officials say.

Congress passed a law in 2000 making involuntary servitude punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The princess already faces a maximum 15 years on the felony assault and battery charges. She is free on $5,000 bond.

She is thought to be staying at the Saudi Embassy in Washington since her passport was confiscated through a court order.

The maid has also filed a civil suit seeking $15,000 in compensation as well as punitive damages.