Saudi Princess Accused of Holding Kenyan Slave in California

The Saudi Royal princess accused of keeping a Kenyan woman as a domestic slave posted bail of $5 million on Thursday night was expected to be freed later in the evening. Meshael Alayban, who is married to the grandson of the King of Saudi Arabia, appeared in an Orange County court in the morning dressed in a blue jumpsuit and answered the judge from behind grilled bars. Uttering ‘yes, your honor’ several times during her time in the Santa Ana courtroom, Alayban, 42, was aided by an Arabic-speaking interpreter during the proceedings. Alayban, 42, faces one felony count of human trafficking charges and up to 12 years in prison – she has not entered a plea yet – her arraignment is on July 29th. She is also not allowed to try and contact the alleged victim, a 30-year-old Kenyan woman who alleges that she was held captive as a domestic slave by the princess and forced to work 16-hours a day, seven days a week for only $220 a month. In addition to the Kenyan woman, police said that when officers executed a search warrant for Alayban’s home, they discovered four women from the Philippines also working in similar circumstances.

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