The case goes back to the years 2012 and 2013. However, the defendant was further implicated in similar crimes in 2018 and 2019, which was uncovered by our colleagues at RTL towards the end of last year.

First sentence

On Thursday morning, a court in Diekirch made the first ruling against the former pilot turned businessman, sentencing him to 18 months in prison under probation. The nine-year-old case saw around 30 plaintiffs and witnesses make an official statement in court, which is why the trial lasted six days instead of the scheduled three.

Most of them were former employees who were denied salaries or compensation for overtime. However, the case also involved instances of document fraud, defamation, and moonlighting. The defendant's mother, who cosigned a number of official company documents, was also on trial, but cleared of charges in the end.

Human trafficking in a Vianden hotel?

Month-long investigations by RTL revealed that the businessman has been actively conducting criminal operations across various sectors for at least ten years. The case was opened wide in 2020 when a Portuguese whistleblower, who worked at a Vianden hotel for the defendant, came forward. The former employee filed a lawsuit to denounce the work and living environments entertained by the defendant across several businesses.

As it turned out, the seemingly unrelated companies, including the hotel, a sushi bar, a Mexican restaurant, a real estate agency, a fiduciary, and a renovation business, are all implicated in the criminal conspiracy. Witness statements showed that the businessman regularly employed and fired people without paying them for their labour. Moreover, health care benefits and work contracts were never filed or even counterfeited.

Open investigations

The police is currently conducting an extensive investigation of the criminal conspiracy, which means that more trials are bound to happen.