Vinci case in Qatar
For justice beyond
borders
Why was a legal action brought against Vinci?
Sherpa recalls that any person accused or prosecuted by a national or international jurisdiction is presumed innocent until found guilty by a final court decision. In this respect, an appealable decision does not constitute a final decision.
In view of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Vinci has won major contracts to modernize infrastructures. The company has employed many migrants through its Qatari subsidiary, Qatari Diar Vinci Construction (QDVC), and its subcontractors.
When they went to Qatar in 2014, Sherpa collected testimonies on the working conditions at that time on some of the construction sites operated by Vinci’s Qatari subsidiary, which included for instance: work in the heat over 45° C with insufficient water or shade, the withholding of passports, having to pay significant sums of money to recruitment agencies, fainting, insufficient access to showers in accommodation, etc. Given these elements, in order to have an investigation carried out to legally sanction these suspected infringements if they were confirmed, Sherpa has filed several complaints, including a first complaint in 2015. Sherpa was then joined in 2018 by the Comité contre l’Esclavage Moderne (Committee against Modern Slavery) and several former workers.
Following Sherpa’s first complaint, Vinci sued for defamation and infringement of their presumption of innocence, seeking compensation of several hundred thousand euros against Sherpa, its president at the time and several of its employees. Numerous actors have denounced Vinci’s reaction, saying it was a “SLAPP” (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). Since then, the company has lowered the amount of its compensation claims to a symbolic one euro. Sherpa won the case brought for an alleged violation of the presumption of innocence. As to the defamation procedure, it is currently underway, suspended until the outcome of the criminal complaint.
Timeline
Key dates
Impact
Why initiate legal action?
The law is a tool of power in a globalised world. It underpins power relations and encourages impunity for the most powerful. Because of their transnational nature, or the political and economic stakes involved, many violations escape justice. Bringing cases before the courts means putting the debate back on a legal footing, giving a voice to the people affected and thus restoring the legal tool to social movements.
Thanks to the work of NGOs and journalists, the consequences of globalisation are increasingly being documented and denounced. Our legal actions make it possible to initiate an contentious proceedings, establish the facts and apply the rules of law to these situations. They also aim to provide practical solutions by putting a stop to violations, holding the players concerned responsible and/or enabling victims to obtain compensation.
In support of our advocacy and in parallel with our legal laboratory and capacity-sharing activities, our legal actions are designed to contribute to wider and lasting change. They fuel public debate to highlight the limits of the legal framework and the obstacles facing the victims of globalised capitalism. They set precedents that shape a more protective legal framework.
In 3 years, I barely managed to pay back what I'd initially paid to work there. Just as I was about to start actually making money, I had health problems. When I left, the company owed me money. They never settled up.
Former Indian worker - Mason
I want justice, I want to be paid for the work I did and I want recognition for the ill-treatment we suffered.
Former Indian worker - Technician
