The Dijon criminal court (Côte-d’Or) on Wednesday, November 20, sentenced a couple as well as a man for human trafficking and subjecting vulnerable or dependent people to unworthy accommodation conditions. The facts date back to September 2023.
A couple of service providers from Côte-d’Or as well as a Romanian intermediary appeared in mid-October before the Dijon criminal court (Côte-d’Or). The latter rendered his decision on Wednesday November 20. The three defendants were found guilty and sentenced, reports The Public Good.
All three were prosecuted for human trafficking and subjecting vulnerable or dependent people to substandard accommodation conditions. In September 2023, they hosted around sixty grape pickers from Romania in Meursault. The latter lived without running water or electricity and with only one toilet for the entire camp, according to France Blue Burgundy.
Reflection around a call
The couple was sentenced to eight months in prison and a fine of €5,000 each, as well as a ban on practicing a profession that provides labor to agricultural operations for one year. The Romanian intermediary received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €5,000 fine.
The couple was, however, acquitted of the charges of carrying out hidden work. Their lawyer does not rule out appealing “since the qualifications are extremely harsh”, as he explained to France Blue. According to him, the wineries are also at fault.
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