Father-Son Duo on Trial for Human Trafficking in Bordeaux Vineyards

Ahmed and el Mehdi Genna are appearing before the Libourne correctional court for human trafficking in Bordeaux vineyards. Six Moroccan compatriots accuse them of housing them in unworthy conditions and exploiting them without pay, reports Le Figaro. They also accuse them of promising them a permanent residence permit, a stable job paid at 1500 euros per month and housing in exchange for a sum of around 12,000 euros to bring them to France. "I accepted, because I dreamed of a better life in France," testified one of the victims, a mechanic in Morocco, on Tuesday morning at the bar.

Arrived in France in June 2022, this man explains that he drew on his savings, but also those of his sister and mother. His stay turned into a nightmare. "I didn’t know where I was going to live, or where I was going to work," he continues in Moroccan dialect. He complains of a frantic pace of work in the vineyards, with a 15-minute lunch break and no compensation for 18 days worked. Another victim is furious. "I had confidence in Mehdi, whom I had known since my childhood. I had no reason to doubt him," he explains, deploring "a vast scam."

Ahmed Genna denies the accusations of unworthy housing, however confirmed by the Labor Inspectorate according to the president of the court. "The accommodation was clean, they deliberately made a mess and then took photos, videos," he says.
He who also appears as the legal representative of a company serving as an interface with the wine estates will add: "Nothing is true, they are lying, no one gave me money to come to France." "They couldn’t stand the workload in the vineyard, they are incompetent, they didn’t even work a single day, I didn’t have to pay them," asserts the defendant.