The trial of 22 people and 13 companies for alleged exploitation of immigrants in Portugal’s Alentejo region began today at Beja Court, involving crimes such as human trafficking, criminal association, aiding illegal immigration, and money laundering.
The case is one of those resulting from the so-called ‘Operation Mirror’ by the Judicial Police (PJ – Portugal’s main criminal investigation agency).
This operation was carried out by the PJ in November 2023 and related to the alleged exploitation of dozens of immigrant workers on agricultural estates in the Alentejo region.
At the first session of the trial, 21 of the 22 official suspects were present, and the panel of judges, presided over by Judge Ana Batista, imposed a fine and issued an arrest warrant for the defendant who did not turn up.
With the courtroom “packed” with both defendants and their lawyers, the defendants were also identified and, when questioned by the panel of judges, declined, at least for now, to make any statements in court.
The panel also decided to separate one of the 13 defendant companies into a separate case.
The session was adjourned and the trial will continue on Wednesday at 9:30am with the hearing of the first witnesses.
According to the indictments and charges, almost all the individual defendants are charged with 16 counts of human trafficking – one is charged with 19 counts – one count of criminal association, one count of aiding illegal immigration, another count of association to aid illegal immigration, and one count of money laundering.
There are also defendants accused of document forgery and possession of prohibited weapons.
Eight of the defendants in this case are Romanian, five are Portuguese – from various districts in the region of Beja. The rest are of various foreign nationalities, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
As for the companies, nine are accused of 16 crimes of human trafficking, one of criminal association, another of aiding illegal immigration, one of association with aiding illegal immigration and one of money laundering.
Two other companies are charged with the same crimes, plus one of document forgery, while the last two companies face identical crimes, but in this case, they are charged with 19 counts of human trafficking.
In the indictment, the public prosecutor’s office alleges that, on a date not specifically determined, but prior to 1st January 2020, the defendants built a network for the entry of illegal immigrants into Portugal, mainly from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, India, Senegal, Nepal, East Timor and Pakistan, and for their use as quasi-forced and low-cost labour.
Although the immigrants were seeking “better living conditions”, they ended up working on farms and construction sites across the country, “housed in degrading conditions”, in “overcrowded, poorly maintained rooms without air conditioning, and charged for accommodation, documents, food, water, electricity, gas and transport”.
Immigrants often received no monthly remuneration for their work, so they could not buy food to survive and meet other needs, which forced them “to beg for food,” according to the report.
To create a supposed appearance of legality, the defendants set up commercial companies.
Local radio station, Rádio Campanario, adds that in the indictment, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested that the court arbitrate ex officio an amount as compensation for 19 victims, for suffering damages resulting from the labour and personal exploitation to which they were subjected – indicating that the defendants, as a result of this alleged illegal activity, managed to earn a total of €19,767,141.09.
The trial continues.
Source: LUSA
