Trial starts in call centre fraud case
Ljubljana, 17 December - Trial started at the end of November in a call centre fraud case in which seven individuals are suspected of running illegal call centres operated by trafficked Taiwanese citizens. All suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges of human trafficking at a pre-trial hearing at the Maribor District Court on 29 November.
Maribor
All seven suspects charged with running illegal call centres operated by trafficked Taiwanese citizens pleaded not guilty to charges of human trafficking at a pre-trial hearing at the Maribor District Court.
Photo: Andreja Seršen Dobaj/STA
The three Slovenians and four citizens of Taiwan are suspected of unlawfully detaining at least 63 people, mostly citizens of Taiwan, in several underground call centres in Slovenia and Croatia. Six of the seven defendants have been remanded in custody due to flight risk.
The trial comes after more than a dozen house searches in late January produced shocking revelations, as 32 victims of trafficking, most of them Taiwanese nationals, were found working in abysmal conditions. The call centres had reportedly been operated since November 2015. Illegal proceeds are estimated at EUR 370,000.
The proceedings are likely to drag on considering the large number of defendants and the language barriers.