MSame operating procedure, same amount paid, same city of origin in Morocco. The case judged this Tuesday, October 15 at the Libourne court, for more than six hours, concerns the particular case of six victims, but is emblematic of “a system which diverts the system from seasonal workers”, in the words of Ms.e Da Rose, lawyer for the civil parties. Human trafficking in the vineyards “is something very serious and systemic that must be made known so that the victims finally realize that they are victims,” believes deputy prosecutor Élodie Blier.
At the bar, two defendants: a Moroccan father and son. The first also appeared as a legal representative of La Petite Charentaise, a wine service company which operated in Libourne. Beyond the supposed exploitation of the victims, he is also being prosecuted for having housed them in unworthy conditions.
No remuneration
The modus operandi? A promise of work in France, a monthly salary of 1,600 euros, proper papers and even accommodation. All for 12,000 euros. The victims, all from the Sidi Kacem region, are fishmongers, mechanics, painters, stock managers in a food company… Some earned 200 euros per month, others nearly 700, double the minimum wage. Moroccan. “I dreamed of a better life,” confides a victim who, like others, dipped into his savings and borrowed money from those around him. “I had confidence in him [le fils] because we have known each other since we were little. I wasn’t suspicious,” says another victim.
“I had confidence in him because we have known each other since we were little. I wasn’t suspicious”
Arriving in France legally, everyone was disillusioned. They speak of intensive and unpredictable work days, no pay and unsanitary housing, avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, in Libourne, which would have accommodated up to eight people in tiny rooms, with dirty mattresses on the floor and no hot water. Unworthy conditions attested by a report from the Labor Inspectorate. “The apartment was clean, they deliberately made everything dirty to take photos and videos,” fumes the accused father.
Two years in prison required
On the unfulfilled promise of stable, or at least regular, employment, here again, he explains: “They have not managed to cope with the workload in the vineyard, they are incapable, they have not even worked just one day, I didn’t have to pay them. » According to him, everyone filed a complaint to obtain a residence permit, as provided by law for recognized victims of human trafficking.
Faced with a defense system “already seen literally” according to the prosecution, the latter quips: “So this is a kind of organized gang of victims? »And to request, among other things, two years in prison, one of which is suspended and a committal warrant for the father and one year in prison for the son. The defense lawyers highlighted the similarity of the versions and the absence of proof of the payments of 12,000 euros. The judgment was reserved until November 5.
