A 46-year-old Albanian man from Kortemark has been sentenced by the Bruges Criminal Court to nine months in prison for illegal employment and employing workers off the books at a construction company and a restaurant in Mannekensvere, West Flanders.
The investigation began when a Honduran man voluntarily asked to be interviewed about his employment in Belgium.
In the Spring of 2023, he worked in the kitchen of a restaurant at Uniebrug in Mannekensvere (Middelkerke), while his Argentine girlfriend worked as a waitress. The company behind the restaurant also employed several Albanian workers in the construction sector.
A.C., aged 46, had previously operated an Italian restaurant but was prohibited from managing a business. He admitted that his partner K.V., aged 37, was the official director of the company due to his ban. In reality, the woman from Kortemark worked as a home nurse and claimed that she only handled invoicing for the construction firm. The restaurant staff were provided by an Italian company owned by A.C.’s uncle and an Italian chef, C.T., aged 51.
The Honduran and Argentine employees had no connection to Italy, making it impossible for them to work in Belgium through posting arrangements. They were not legally permitted to work in Belgium, and the same applied to two construction workers.
The investigation revealed that A.C. effectively continued as the manager, being the main contact for the construction sector’s sole client and giving staff instructions. He was reportedly aggressive at the restaurant and was responsible for firing the Honduran and his girlfriend for underperformance.
The court sentenced A.C. to nine months in prison and a fine of €19,200. He had had prior convictions for theft, drugs, and violence.
His Italian business partner was given the same fine and a seven-month prison sentence in absentia.
Chef C.T. had previous convictions for fraud and receiving stolen goods in Italy.
K.V. received a suspended five-month prison sentence and a €19,200 fine, of which €6,400 was payable.
She and her partner had previously been convicted of money laundering in September 2019.
