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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