Two men from Saskatchewan have been found guilty of human trafficking a woman from Bangladesh who worked in their restaurants.

Mohammed Masum, 44, and Sohel Haider, 55, were taken into custody after Judge Miguel Martinez announced his verdict in a Saskatoon court.

The judge said both men took advantage of the woman's vulnerability for their own benefit.

The men used their authority as her employers and their cultural authority as men to control her. They threatened to report her to the authorities if she didn't obey them.

Masum took the woman's passport and wouldn't give it back until she agreed to have sex with him.

Masum was also found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman eight times.

The woman's name cannot be revealed due to a court order.

The trial for the two men took about seven weeks over 18 months in a Rosetown court.

The case was moved to a Saskatoon courtroom for the final arguments and the judge's verdict.

The charges were for the time between August 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.

The judge was deciding the case of two Saskatchewan men charged with human trafficking.

The judge gave a short overview of the evidence presented in court.

The woman came to Canada from Bangladesh in August 2022, looking for a way to stay.

She found a job at a restaurant in Saskatchewan and was supposed to get free room and board and $1,000 a month.

The woman worked long hours, six days a week, but was never paid.

A local politician, Doug Steele, met the woman when she served him at the restaurant and became concerned about her.

The woman was sent to work at another restaurant, where she worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week.

Doug Steele continued to worry about the woman and contacted another politician, Hugh Nerlien, about his concerns.

Nerlien gave the woman his business card with a social worker's contact information.

The woman spoke with the social worker, who also became concerned about her.

The woman eventually got a work permit, but it only allowed her to work at a specific restaurant.

The social worker and Doug Steele made a plan to help the woman escape her situation.

They were able to get the woman out of the situation on March 23, 2023.

The judge found the testimony of the politicians and the social worker to be very believable.

The judge also found the woman's testimony to be credible and reliable.

The two men testified in their own defense, denying that the woman worked for them.

The judge did not find Haider's testimony to be convincing.

The judge also did not find Masum to be credible.

After the verdict, the prosecutor asked for Haider and Masum to be taken into custody.

Human trafficking can result in a sentence of life in prison or a minimum of four years.

The judge ordered the men to be taken into custody and they will return to court to set a date for their sentencing.