The inspection services carried out an inspection at the site of the new casino in Middelkerke on May 30, 2023. The subsequent wage survey showed that 92 employees were paid approximately 260,000 euros too little. This involved construction workers from Portugal, Brazil, Morocco, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe, among others. The workers also worked too much overtime and had to work on public holidays.
Refund
Alexandre T.’s Portuguese company tried to regularize the situation, but the labor prosecutor raised questions about those payments. Some victims stated that they had to pay back the money later. In addition, only dubious Word files were submitted as proof of some payments.
Convicted before
According to labor auditor Sofie Heyndrickx, at least 48,000 euros in back wages have still not been paid. In those circumstances, the Public Prosecution Service demanded the forfeiture of that amount. Alexandre T. faced eight months in prison and an 8,000 euro fine, while his company risked a 16,000 euro fine. It was noted that the defendant had already six convictions abroad, including for fraud and assault. For example, in November 2022, he was given a two-year prison sentence in La Roche-sur-Yon, France, partly conditionally.
Paid in full?
The defense argued that everyone had indeed been paid in full in the meantime. According to master Tom Lemense, there was absolutely no question of any tampering with the payment receipts. The defense unsuccessfully pushed for a suspension of the sentence for the social dumping.
The judge ultimately sentenced Alexandre T. to six months in prison, an 8,000 euro fine and a confiscation of 9,000 euros. His company was sentenced to a confiscation of 36,000 euros and a fine of 16,000 euros, half of which was suspended.