The 42-year-old Swiss is alleged to have exploited Hungarian and Moldovan construction workers over a period of years.
The man allegedly lured the workers to Switzerland with attractive working conditions. However, he did not pay the promised wages but only certain lump sums, the prosecution said in its indictment.
If the construction workers rebelled, the contractor allegedly intimidated them with a stun gun or threatened them with immediate dismissal without any payment.
The prosecution also accuses the man of misappropriation. He is alleged to have used over CHF600,000 ($650,000) from his companies for private purposes.
The building contractor sat in pre-trial detention for almost three years. The punishment demanded by the prosecution and the arguments of the defence will become clear in the course of the trial.
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Demographics
Sharp rise in human trafficking victims in Switzerland
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The number of victims of human trafficking increased by 50% between 2019 and 2021 in Switzerland.
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A Bern Regional Court has found the Solothurn doctor known as "Dr Pump" guilty of offences against the Sports Promotion Law. The man had administered unauthorised substances to patients.
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A Polish mountaineer died on Sunday after falling into a crevasse on the Monte Rosa glacier in the Swiss resort of Zermatt.
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This month the University of Basel is celebrating the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who was a professor there from 1869 to 1879. August 25th marks the 125th anniversary of his death.
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Swiss police help dismantle Romanian human trafficking ring
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Swiss asylum system to better detect victims of trafficking
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A working group led by the State Secretariat for Migration has called for better detection and support for potential victims of trafficking within the asylum system.
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