Exploitation of cleaning ladies Lawyers see no evidence of human trafficking in Gstaad
In the trial concerning allegedly illegally employed cleaning ladies in Gstaad, the defendants reject all serious accusations. The defense speaks of voluntary illegal work - the prosecution of conditions "close to slavery".
19.05.2026, 23:24
SDA
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- In the trial concerning allegedly exploited cleaning ladies in Gstaad, the defense is demanding acquittals for the three defendants.
- In particular, the lawyers deny the accusation of human trafficking and speak of voluntary illegal employment.
- The verdict of the Thun Regional Court is expected on June 16.
Luxury, million-dollar chalets and suspicion of exploitation: in the court case concerning allegedly illegally employed cleaning ladies in Gstaad BE, the defense lawyers on Tuesday demanded acquittals for the three defendants of all serious charges, namely human trafficking. Conditional fines should be imposed for lesser offenses.
A Serbian couple and their adult daughter are currently before the regional court in Thun. The prosecution accuses them of luring women from their country to Switzerland for years under false promises and exploiting them as cleaners and babysitters in Saanenland.
The trio are accused of human trafficking, usury, threats and other offenses. The working conditions of the women were in some cases close to slavery, argued the public prosecutor. They demanded long prison sentences for the defendants.
On Tuesday, the floor belonged to the defense lawyers. Some of them harshly criticized the investigations. The public prosecutor's office had been guided by feelings of outrage and not by facts.
Women wanted to earn extra money
There could be no question of human trafficking, the defense lawyers emphasized. The Serbian women had all known that they would be working illegally in Gstaad. They were middle-class women who wanted to earn extra money, for example to renovate their own house in Serbia or to finance a child's studies. The defense lawyers emphasized that these were not existential needs or hardships.
It was not as if the women had had no choice but to accept this work in Gstaad. The women had earned several times the basic Serbian wage in the Bernese Oberland, which had attracted them. Those who didn't like the work in Gstaad were free to leave. Many women repeatedly came to the family in Gstaad to work in chalets or hotels. Criticism had only come from a few women.
The defense lawyers argued in unison that sub-optimal working conditions do not automatically justify the accusation of human trafficking. This would be the case if the victims had no other choice and did not act voluntarily, for example in the case of women who were forced into prostitution.
Women working illegally in Switzerland
One of the defense lawyers referred to the time sheets of the cleaning ladies from Gstaad, which showed that they had long and hard working days in between, but not always. There were also less busy days or days off.
The wages of at least CHF 1,500 per month plus board and lodging could not be considered extortionate, the defense lawyers found. If the women had been in Switzerland legally and had been paid according to local customs - with corresponding deductions such as withholding tax or social security contributions - they would not have had much more, they argued.
The defendants did not deny that the women had worked illegally in Switzerland. The daughter said in court that in the beginning they had tried to obtain permits, but without success. So they simply carried on without, which may have been a mistake.
Defense lawyers demand compensation of up to 100,000 francs
The defense lawyers demanded that the three defendants be acquitted of the serious charges. For lesser offenses in connection with the illegal entry and employment of the Serbian women, they demanded conditional fines and penalties. The lawyers demanded compensation of up to CHF 100,000 for the sometimes lengthy imprisonment.
The case of the Serbian cleaning ladies in Saanenland was made public in 2020 and caused quite a stir at the time, not least because it concerned one of Switzerland's most prestigious vacation regions, where many celebrities have their chalets or spend their vacations.
The regional court in Thun will hand down its verdict on June 16. The defendants are presumed innocent until a final verdict is reached.
