The Qatari subsidiary, of which Vinci is a minority shareholder, is accused of numerous questionable practices vis-à-vis its local workers. These employees with low wages and difficult working conditions participated in particular in the construction of a metro.
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Two weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the French construction giant Vinci is caught up in accusations of modern slavery. A Qatari subsidiary of Vinci Construction Grands Projets is summoned on Wednesday November 9 by an investigating judge from Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) with a view to a possible indictment, franceinfo learned this Sunday from a source close to the file confirming a information from the newspaper Le Parisien/Aujourd’hui en France.
The Qatari subsidiary, of which Vinci is a minority shareholder, is accused of numerous questionable practices vis-à-vis its local workers. Incomprehensible contracts, too low wages and very difficult working conditions are, for example, noted. Its employees worked in particular on the construction of a metro with a view to the Mondial-2022.
The investigation into this case began seven years ago, in 2015, after a complaint from the NGO Sherpa which fights against economic crimes. After three years of investigation, the Nanterre prosecutor had dismissed the case but Sherpa filed a new complaint with an examining magistrate.
It was this magistrate who decided to summon the Vinci subsidiary on Wednesday, 10 days before the kick-off of the Football World Cup. Which makes the lawyer for the Qatari company cringe. Contacted by franceinfo, master Versini Campinchi denounces a case that exists only for “to buzz”.