French construction firm Vinci denies new allegations of forced labour in Qatar
The company denies it violated the rights of migrant workers at 2022 soccer World Cup sites
Paris — French construction firm Vinci on Thursday denied new allegations by human rights group Sherpa that it had violated the rights of migrant workers employed to build sites in Qatar for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Sherpa, which previously filed a claim against Vinci that was dismissed by French prosecutors in February, said it had lodged a fresh complaint against the company in France, with new witness statements on alleged abuses. In a statement, Vinci, which is still pursuing Sherpa for libel over its previous complaint from 2015, said it “refuted, back then and now, all the allegations made by Sherpa”. Vinci, which counts the wealthy Arab state as its second-biggest shareholder, has several major projects in Qatar linked to the soccer tournament, including a metro line in Doha and a highway. The French company denied that some migrant workers had their passports confiscated and said employees could access their documents stored in safes at any time. It also said that no serious...
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