Prosecutors in Hasselt, Limburg Province are requesting six-month prison terms and fines ranging from €216,000 and €700,000 in a social dumping case involving Bulgarian lorry drivers employed by two Belgian and two Bulgarian companies.
The case was examined on Monday by the Hasselt Criminal Court, which deals with labour law matters.
Transport company Kumas Trans came under scrutiny in 2022 after labour inspectors in Tessenderlo-Ham impounded the trucks of 35 Bulgarian drivers in April of that year.
Four defendants, aged between 41 and 72 and related to one another, appeared alongside four companies over alleged offences said to have been committed between 2017 and 2022.
As the alleged offences date back several years, the defence argued that the reasonable time limit for prosecution had been exceeded.
According to the labour prosecutor, the drivers were paid €3.50 an hour, a claim disputed by the defence.
The defence lawyers said the Bulgarian workers earned an average monthly salary of €2,500.
