A man accused of deceiving his then-wife into travelling to Sudan and leaving her stranded in an effort to cancel her Australian visa has appeared in a Melbourne court.
Mohamed Ahmed Omer, 50, is the first person in Victoria to be charged with exit trafficking, according to Australian Federal Police.
Exit trafficking can involve a person coercing, forcing or threatening another to leave Australia against their will.
Omer appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being charged in February, following an incident in 2014.
The court heard Omer has lived in Australia for 20 years and has no criminal record, but was interviewed over the allegations multiple times in 2016.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 12 years' imprisonment.
Omer is on bail and is barred from contacting witnesses and must alert the prosecution at least 48 hours before any interstate or international travel, because of authorities' concerns about his family ties to Sudan.
He is due to return to court in June.
