PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian court has sentenced each of 13 pregnant Filipino women to four years in jail for acting as surrogate mothers, according to a statement released by the Kandal Provincial Court on Tuesday.

The convicts were arrested in Southern Kandal province in September and charged with attempted cross-border human trafficking, the statement said, adding that a trial was held on Nov. 28 and Nov. 29 and a verdict was issued on Monday.

"The court decided to sentence each of the 13 Filipino women to four years in jail, but two years of the sentence will be suspended," the statement said.

The statement said the court had concrete evidence to prove that the 13 Filipino surrogate mothers had the intention to carry babies for foreign clients, and when the babies were born, they would sell them to a third person in exchange for money.

"This is an act of human trafficking," the statement said.

The statement did not say what would happen to the babies when they were born.

According to the statement, a Cambodian woman, who served as a janitor and cook for the Filipino surrogate mothers, was also sentenced to two months and one day in prison for not reporting this criminal case to police.

Cambodia banned commercial surrogacy in November 2016, describing it as a form of human trading.

In August 2017, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced an Australian nurse to 18 months in prison for operating commercial surrogacy services in the Southeast Asian country. Enditem

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