An Indian man in his fifties was sentenced on Friday by the magistrates' court in Bruges to one year's imprisonment for people smuggling.
Babu A. recruited Indian nurses and care assistants to work in nursing homes in Belgium.
According to the Labour Auditor's Office, which requested an 18-month sentence, the man had been abusing the vulnerability of his compatriots since 2014. The victims first had to pay him thousands of euros to come to Belgium. Then, through his agency in Paris, he placed them in nursing homes in Belgium.
For each nurse and care assistant recruited, the accused received €2,500 and €1,500 respectively from their prospective employers.
"He therefore collected money twice, even though these people had no freedom whatsoever," Sofie Heyndrickx, a labour auditor, explained. "They were totally dependent on him."
The investigation began in 2021 following parliamentary questions on the issue. Although thousands of people undoubtedly worked temporarily in Belgium as part of this trafficking, only 13 victims reported the facts. The prosecution described the victims' hearings as “devastating” for the defendant.
"He will not stop until he receives a clear signal," Ms. Heyndrickx argued. The Labour Inspectorate therefore requested 18 months' imprisonment, a fine of €104,000 and confiscation of €111,000.
In his defence, Babu A.'s lawyers said there was no question of exploitation. The defendant and his company had merely acted as intermediaries to find "good work" for these workers who had "come to Belgium of their own free will," they said.
The court found that Babu A. was not guilty of human trafficking, i.e. the exploitation of individuals for financial gain, but of people smuggling, which consists of smuggling individuals across a border for financial gain. It added that the defendant organised their entry and stay in Belgium, then took advantage of their state of vulnerability.
For the trafficking of 10 people, Babu A. was sentenced to one year's imprisonment and a fine of €80,000. He was also ordered to forfeit €111,000 and was stripped of his civil rights for a period of five years.
