A magistrate this afternoon complained that the testimony given by one of the alleged victims of human trafficking at Chinese state-owned textile manufacturer Leisure Clothing showed abuse and not slavery.

In an angry tone, Magistrate Carol Peralta questioned the charges that had been brought against the company’s managing and marketing directors, saying the working 14 hours a day was exploitation but not slavery.

He was passing remarks during the compilation of evidence against managing director Han Bin, a 46-year-old naturalised Maltese citizen who lives in San Ġwann, and marketing director Jia Liu, a 31-year-old Chinese.

They stand charged with trafficking of nine Vietnamese women for the purpose of labour exploitation, misappropriating money owed to them and failing to comply with employment regulations.

The only witness in today’s sitting was Duong Thi Lien, who arrived in Malta to work at Leisure Clothing in February 2014 and spent nine months working there. She said she had always been warned that complaining about working conditions was futile.

She said she had been promised a minimum wage of €685 a month but was only receiving €370 a month, apart from €150 in cash every two months.

But Magistrate Peralta questioned a payslip she exhibited in court, which showed a total of nearly €1,600 for four months, which excluded the cash given to each employee every two months.

The magistrate also questioned Ms Duong’s failure to do anything about her situation for months on end, with the witness stressing that she feared being sent back to Vietnam without being given what she was owed.

The case continues on June 11.