The Public Prosecutor (MP) de Beja yesterday asked for the conviction of Petrica Usurelu, a Romanian citizen 43 years and, of the company Angy San, controlled by itself for a crime of aiding illegal immigration.
Outside of any conviction is Ionela Usurelu, 37 year old, the defendant's wife. The MP asked for the three defendants to be acquitted of the crimes of trafficking in persons, for not having proven such crimes.
Pete, Ionela and the company were accused of 13 trafficking in persons and crimes 9 crimes of aid to illegal emigration, a situation that the defendants denied in the first session of the trial held at the Court of Beja. Despite considering that Petrica committed the crime of aiding illegal immigration on a continuous basis, hence he asked for his conviction for only one crime.
The couple came to trial charged with recruiting and exploring in Portugal, eastern citizens, in the execution of agricultural work, in municipalities in the districts of Beja and Évora, withholding their passports, shelter to sleep in subhuman conditions and keep the money of these workers.
Workers were required to work during 13 hours, with short breaks, with little to eat and housed in T2 and T3 houses, where more than a dozen people slept, in most cases the houses had no light., no running water. As a result of the way they treated the recruits, the couple will have obtained, illegally, profits in the order of 15 thousand euros, defending the accusation that the couple and the company are subject to declaration of loss of products and illicit advantages in favor of the State and that the exploited workers are economically compensated for the losses.
Reading the judgment was set for the next day 30 of September, and in case of conviction, it must be suspended in the execution, for being less than five years old.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
