One of the most extensive legal proceedings due to suspicion of human trafficking in Switzerland is currently underway. Before the court in Thun these days, a married couple from Serbia and their daughter, or stepdaughter, are being held accountable.
They are accused of employing women from poor backgrounds under exploitative working conditions for years in the luxurious Bernese winter resort of Gstaad. After the first day of the trial brought relatively few new findings, the hearing of the daughter on Wednesday morning was much more spectacular, writes Tages-Anzeiger.
During the examination, she said that Madonna also used their services. “She was just one of many famous people.”
The accused daughter emphasized that it was a valuable experience for the women to work in the environment of such people. Some received large tips. That was, as she claims, one of the reasons why the women wanted to keep returning to Gstaad.
Women from Serbia also had to babysit after a long working day
Such a story was in sharp contrast to the working conditions previously described by the president of the court, Jan Grunder. The women from Serbia received 1,500 francs per month for their work. For that money, they had to work nine hours a day – and for all 30 days of the month. When calculated, their hourly wage was about 5.50 francs.
During the three-month engagements in Gstaad, for which they did not have work permits, they had almost no days off. However, the accused daughter claimed that the workload was not equal every day. “Sometimes there was almost no work, and sometimes there was a lot.”
At the peak of the season, Serbian women often went out additionally in the evenings to babysit, for example at the Palace Hotel, known from the recently broadcast documentary series of the Swiss SRF. They slept in another mountain house – on mattresses on the floor and often with several of them in one room.
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Cleaners often hired through villa rental agencies
It is not clear what people like Madonna knew about the working conditions of the Serbian women. The accused said before the court that jobs were sometimes mediated by agencies, but also by the villa owners themselves. In the beginning, as she claims, she tried to provide regular work permits for the women. When that failed, she gave up. “I thought it was okay if the villa owners considered it acceptable for people without permits to work for them.”
In previous years, Madonna often spent the Christmas holidays in Gstaad. She does not own her own property there, but rents a luxury villa for a few days. Because of this, it is likely that the Serbian cleaners were hired for her through the lessor, rather than her paying them directly. According to the indictment, the Serbian family cooperated closely with certain luxury real estate agencies in Gstaad, which are partly involved in renting villas.
An inquiry sent to Madonna’s management about whether she knew about the working conditions of the cleaners in Gstaad has so far remained unanswered.
The accused daughter: “I was helping them”
It is very likely that Madonna is just one of many famous people in Gstaad who directly or indirectly did business with the accused family. During the hearings so far, the court has not asked questions about clients. The accused mentioned Madonna’s name herself, without being asked.
According to the indictment, searches were also carried out in well-known real estate companies in Gstaad, including Gerax and Engel & Völkers. However, the indictment does not list other names or concrete connections.
The accused daughter and her stepfather resolutely denied before the court that they wanted to get rich off the women from Serbia. “I was helping them to earn money,” said the 47-year-old. She also added that she provided the women with accommodation, a car, and food.
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Source: Nova.rs; Photo: Printscreen X