Updated - Four deny trafficking Filipino workers, bail denied, assets frozen

A man and this two sons and daughter were remanded in custody this afternoon after pleading not guilty to trafficking Filipino workers. The court also upheld a prosecution request for their assets to be frozen. 

The accused are Joseph Degiorgio 71 of Balzan, Paul Degiorgio 47 of Lija, Christopher Degiorgio, 42 or Naxxar, and Josianne Bugeja Degiorgio, 34 of Balzan.

The prosecution said that the police had been monitoring the accused for months for trafficking Filipinos to Malta.

In some cases 12 Filipinos were found to be sharing a single room. The Filipinos paid €5,000 for a contract of employment through a Filippino agent. When they arrived their contract was seized and they were given a separate one which they had to sign by force. Otherwise they would be send back. Although €5,000 was not very high by  local standards, for a Filipino with a low income this was a huge sum, Police Inspector Joseph Busuttil said.

The second contract was different as it laid down different working conditions. For example, overtime was paid at part-time rate.

They got paid through JD (Joseph Degiorgio) contractors, a firm which in reality had never operated even though it was set up last year.