DUSHANBE, November 21, 2012, Asia-Plus -- The chief of a Dushanbe-based company involved in arranging Tajik labor migrants'' trips to Saudi Arabia has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports.

Nasrullo Zamonov was found guilty of fraud on November 20 after being arrested in April when more than 90 clients of his Zamoni Yunus company filed lawsuits against him.

Zamonov was accused of taking fees of between $400 and $4,500 from each client and promising to organize their emigration to Saudi Arabia, but failing to do so.

Judge Sulaimon Qosimov ruled that Zamonov''s property must be confiscated.

The judge also banned Zamonov from running any sort of private business for five years after serving his prison term.

Thousands of Tajik citizens, mainly men, travel to Russia and other countries as labor migrants each year due to Tajikistan''s weak economy.