Restaurant Owner in Liรจge โAccused of Exploitationโค and Fraud
Workersโ in Liรจge, Belgiumโ are alleging exploitation by Sahren, the owner of two restaurants, who โฃis accused โขof fraudulently registering employees as managers and misappropriating mutual benefits. Several individuals claim they were lured with promises of stable employmentโฃ and accommodation, only to find themselves financially โliable for social security contributions as independent contractors.
The โscheme โreportedly began with โSahren recruiting โขindividuals,โ frequently enough from outside Belgium, with offers of work and housing. Oneโ victim, a โคcook originally โคfrom Morocco whoโข arrived in Belgiumโ on January 31, 2019, afterโ working โin Spain, described encountering Sahren atโ a butcher shop โขand inquiring about potential โคemployment.This encounter,โฃ she โขsays, “was the standing of big troubles.”
Sahren offeredโฃ the cook not only aโ jobโฃ but also accommodation, which the woman initially considered a blessing. However,โข she alleges she โwas quickly pressured into signing documents withoutโ adequate time to review them. “She introduced meโค to the documents on a Saturday in full shot,” the cook explained. “There were โขa lot of people โinโค the โrestaurant, the room was full. I didn’t have time to read what I was signing.”โ These documents, she discovered later, registered her asโ a shareholder and manager โ- a “straw manager” โ- of โคthe business.
The cook โstated, โข”She told me that we โwere like a family,โค that she wasโ like my sister. She told me to โคtrust him. I thought it was an employment contract. โshe told meโ about a permanent contract.”
The deception came to light when the workers began receiving bills for social security contributions. When confronted, Sahren allegedly promised to reimburse the amountsโค owed, โa promise she never fulfilled. The cook filed a complaint on June 26, 2019, and subsequentlyโข lost both โherโข job and housing.
Otherโฃ employees have reported similar experiences. Sahren is โขalso suspected of pocketing the profits โฃfrom both restaurants while illegally benefiting from mutual insurance schemes.
Sahren was not present, nor represented, in court. Aโฃ judge is expected to deliver a verdict at the end ofโ September.
