The compilation of evidence against two Chinese men who run the Leisure Clothing factory in Bulebel continued today, 12 months to the day since a magistrate ruled there was enough evidence for the case to continue to be heard.
A Vietnamese textile worker took the witness stand, corroborating earlier evidence given by her colleagues about the miserly conditions she was duped into working under.
The case has been plagued by a series of hiccups, including the retirement of the presiding magistrate, the resignation of the prosecuting police inspector and the recusal of a new magistrate due to her having extensively assisted the prosecution before her appointment.
Bin Han, 46, from San Gwann and Jia Liu, 31, from Birzebbuga, stand charged with human trafficking and the exploitation of Chinese and Vietnamese people working for their company.
Mr Bin, who has Maltese nationality, is the company's managing director while Mr Liu is the marketing director. He is Chinese but has been living in Malta for four years.
They are also charged with misappropriating the employees' wages, failing to pay the employees their wages, overtime and allowances and failing to comply with employment conditions
Vietnamese worker Thi Thu Tran, 28, who is owed around €15,000 for eight months' work, testified today before Magistrate Ian Farrugia, explaining that she obtained the job with Leisure Clothing through a Vietnamese agency on the promise that she would receive €685 a month, that she would work for eight hours a day, six days a week and that living conditions would be good.
This was initially detailed in a contract drafted in Chinese. She was later provided with a second contract written both in Chinese and in Vietnamese. It was here that Ms Tran noticed differences in the work conditions, primarily in her working hours and salary, which had shot down to €140 per month.
Asked why she had nevertheless signed the documents, the witness explained that she would have lost the money she had paid up to that point, which totalled 70 million Vietnamese dong (€2,817) - approximately the equivalent of two-and-a-half year’s wages in Vietnam.
Upon arrival, Ms Tran had her passport sequestered. She worked 14 hours a day, receiving €150 every two months. She was threatened with being sent back to Vietnam if she so much as dared utter a word regarding her work conditions to outsiders.
Ms Tran said she was forced to work even when sick, explaining that once she could barely walk and was made to report for work. She was then chided with not giving the company two days' notice that she would be taking sick leave and made to pay the €22 medical fee of the doctor summoned by the company.
She did not receive the rest of the money she was owed, the witness said, explaining she was given €10 on Christmas. She was told that the company would hold on to her pay until she had earned €2,000, after which it would be paid regularly. The €2,000 would be kept, together with her passport, as a form of guarantee that she would not abscond, the court was told.
Meanwhile, the court accepted the defence's request to modify the accused parties' bail conditions, ordering them to sign the bail book once a week instead of four times a week.
Police Inspector Joseph Busuttil is leading the prosecution. Lawyers Karl Briffa, Katrine Camilleri and Michael Camilleri are appearing parte civile for the workers while Edward Gatt and Pio Valletta are defence counsel to the company directors.