The sister of a Victorian man accused of coercing his wife into leaving Australia will give evidence against him when he fights the charge in court.
Mohamed Ahmed Omer, 50, is accused in of deceiving his then-wife into travelling to Sudan and leaving her stranded in an effort to cancel her Australian visa.
He is the first person in Victoria to be charged with exit trafficking, according to Australian Federal Police.
Omer appeared via videolink before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, asking for his bail to be varied to allow him to speak to his sister Martha Omer.
Ms Omer is one of 11 prosecution witnesses expected to give evidence before a three-day committal hearing later this year, the court heard.
She also gave a statement to police about the case.
Prosecutor Ellie McDonald agreed for bail to be varied, but requested that Omer cannot discuss the court matter or police statement with his sister.
Magistrate Kieran Gilligan agreed and ordered for a committal to be heard from November 14 to 16.
He asked the prosecution why the matter had taken five years to come to court.
"There's been various issues at play, Your Honour," Ms McDonald said.
"I'm probably better off not asking then, never pick a fight when you don't know who you're fighting," Mr Gilligan replied.
The court previously 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 remains on bail and is barred from contacting all other witnesses.
He must alert the prosecution at least 48 hours before any interstate or international travel, due to concerns about his family ties to Sudan.
Australian Associated Press
