After years of investigation, the trial has started in France against Gefco, a French transport and logistics company that was formerly part of the Psa group but has recently come under the control of Ceva/Cma Cgm. The company stands accused of exploiting illegal labour and tax evasion, and the verdict from the court of Vesoul, a town in Burgundy about 100 kilometres from Dijon, is expected in the early days of July.
The case dates back to 2017 when, following a routine inspection by the Dreal – the regional department of environment, planning and housing – a file was opened due to various irregularities in the employment declarations of 35 drivers hired by companies registered in Poland, Slovakia and Alsace. According to Dreal, the drivers should have been registered in France rather than abroad, as all their activities took place exclusively on national territory, and the failure to register employees with the social security system constitutes the offence of illegal employment.
The report also highlighted irregularities at the parking area that served as a dormitory for the group's drivers, where shacks failed to meet basic hygiene standards for accommodating employees and were described as unsanitary bungalows. The investigation immediately took on an international dimension and was entrusted to the Central Office for Combating Illegal Employment of the Gendarmerie, with the participation of Uracti, the regional control unit responsible for fighting illegal employment, and Urssaf, the organisation for the collection of social security contributions and benefits.
Alongside Gefco – represented by the two companies Sa Gefco (now Ceva Logistics Europe) and Sas Gefco France (now Ceva Logistics Ground et Rail France) – the defendants include two Polish transport companies, one Slovak company, a French transport company based in Alsace, and five executives from these companies. The foreign companies involved have been described as "shell companies" that concentrated their activities in France, carrying out "almost all their turnover with Gefco Vesoul" (around 97%), which directly commissioned the journeys to be carried out.
The first arrests took place in March 2018, with a total of ten individuals taken into custody. Gefco – which was acquired by Ceva Logistics in 2022, becoming part of the Cma Cgm group – has declared itself uninvolved in the matter and has pointed out various irregularities in the proceedings. According to defence lawyers, all drivers were properly registered in their countries of origin and were legally employed, meaning there would be no grounds for the charge of illegal employment.
The lawyers also argued that the nature of transport companies allows them to operate in countries different from where they are registered. The defence continued by disputing the characterisation of the parking area, asserting that it was not a concentration camp as described in the file, but a simple recreation area made available to employees, who in any case did not use the dormitory but slept solely in the truck cabins.
The first part of the trial, which began on 7 April, lasted four days, at the end of which the public prosecutor called for severe penalties for the accused. Gefco could face a fine of up to 450,000 euros for illegal employment, but the total fines could exceed 800,000 euros, corresponding to the unpaid social security contributions. The verdict is expected on 3 July.
Marco Martinelli
