BRUSSELS — A Belgian court has found a princess from Abu Dhabi and her seven daughters guilty of mistreating around 20 servants forced to work for them in a plush Brussels hotel.

The court found the eight princesses guilty of "human trafficking and degrading treatment," handing down 15-month suspended prison sentences and fining them 165,000 euros ($184,000). Their butler was acquitted.

The case dates back to July 2008, when police raided the then Conrad Hotel where the now 64-year-old princess, Sheikha Hamda Al-Nahyan, had rented the entire 4th floor for a few months.

She and her daughters were alleged to have had people working round the clock, forcing some to sleep on the floor.

The princesses did not appear in court, only their legal representatives.</s>A judge speaks during the so-called "Conrad princesses" trial in front of the Brussels criminal court for human trafficking on May 11, 2017. Eight princesses from the United Arab Emirates have been convicted of human trafficking and given fines and suspended prison terms by a Belgian court.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Al Bawaba.</s>A Belgian court on Friday convicted eight Emirati princesses of human trafficking and their mistreatment of servants at a luxury hotel in Brussels almost 10 years ago. The princesses were handed out 15-month suspended jail terms and also fined for trafficking and mistreating servants at the hotel, their lawyer said.

The case against Princess Sheikha al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family and her seven daughters was filed in 2008 when one of the servants managed to escape the hotel in Brussels and complained about degrading treatment to the local police. The princesses had booked an entire floor at the Conrad Hotel in Brussels for several months in 2007 and 2008.

They were convicted on Friday and handed out suspended jail terms and a fine of €165,000 for trafficking and inhuman treatment. Defence lawyer Stephen Monod told RT that the word "trafficking," used in the verdict, did not have anything to do with "smuggling illegal labour into a country." It referred "to employing labour in unworthy conditions."

Monod expressed his satisfaction at the case being finally resolved, Reuters reported. "Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case, which has generated many misconceptions," Monod said in a statement.

However, all the eight princesses were acquitted of charges of inhuman treatment because they were not the actual employers of the servants, RT reported citing De Morgen newspaper. The eight women never appeared in court during the trial.

The princesses had brought 23 servants, who were of eight different nationalities, with them. They "were not paid" and "worked day and night and had to sleep on the floor," RT reported citing the Tribune de Geneve paper. The servants were not allowed to leave the hotel and were also "shouted at and abused" by the UAE royals.</s>Eight Emirati princesses were convicted of human trafficking by a Belgian court on Friday and were given suspended jail terms and fines in a case stemming from their treatment of servants at a Brussels luxury hotel nearly 10 years ago, their lawyer said.

The Brussels criminal court handed the eight women from Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment, the lawyer, Stephen Monod, said.

He said the defence was pleased the case was finally resolved after nearly a decade.</s>Eight Emirati princesses were convicted of human trafficking by a Belgian court on Friday and were given suspended jail terms and fines in a case stemming from their treatment of servants at a Brussels luxury hotel nearly 10 years ago, their lawyer said. The Brussels criminal court handed the eight women from Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment, the lawyer, Stephen Monod, said.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>Eight princesses from the United Arab Emirates were given suspended jail terms and fined in a trafficking case in Belgium, escaping the harsher charges of inhumane treatment.

The case against Princess Sheikha al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family and her seven daughters had been dragging on since 2008.

Back then, a servant managed to escape from a luxury Brussels hotel booked by the UAE royals and complained of mistreatment to the local police.

On Friday, a criminal court in Brussels found Princess Shekha and her daughters guilty of trafficking and degrading treatment. They were handed 15-month suspended sentences and ordered to pay a fine of €165,000 (US$184,000), with half of the sum suspended.

Defense lawyer Stephen Monod contacted RT via email to clarify that the word “trafficking,” used in the verdict, had nothing to do with “smuggling illegal labor into a country,” but referred “to employing labor in unworthy conditions.“

However, the eight women, who never appeared in court during the trial, were acquitted of more serious charges of inhumane treatment due to not being actual employers of the servants, De Morgen newspaper reported.

Defense lawyer Monod expressed his satisfaction that the case was finally resolved, Reuters reported.

“Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case, which has generated many misconceptions,” a statement by Monod said.

During the trial, the defense has repeatedly blamed the Belgian police of violating the rights of their clients by searching their hotel rooms and questioned the credibility of the testimonies by the witnesses.

The UAE princesses reportedly occupied a whole floor at the Conrad Hotel in Brussels for several months in 2007 and 2008.

They brought 23 servants of eight different nationalities with them, who “were not paid” and “worked day and night and had to sleep on the floor,” according to the Tribune de Geneve paper.

The servants were forbidden from leaving the hotel and were also “shouted at and abused” by the princesses.

In January, the European Court of Human Rights reviewed a case involving a family from Dubai bringing three Philippine servants to Vienna.

The maids were reportedly forced by their masters to take care of the children and household round the clock, receiving threats after every mistake they made.

However, the court decided that the trial had “no realistic chance of success” as the employers had already left the EU and there is no legal basis between the UAE and Austria to carry out such proceedings.</s>BRUSSELS - Eight Emirati princesses were convicted of human trafficking by a Belgian court on Friday and were given suspended jail terms and fines in a case stemming from their treatment of servants at a Brussels luxury hotel nearly 10 years ago, their lawyer said.

The Brussels criminal court handed the eight women from Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment, the lawyer, Stephen Monod, said. He said the defense was pleased the case was finally resolved after nearly a decade.

"Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case which has generated many misconceptions," he said in a statement. The defendants were acquitted of the more serious charge of inhuman treatment but also ordered to pay a fine of 165,000 euros ($184,000), with half the sum suspended.

The eight accused did not appear in court throughout the proceedings.

The case was brought after a servant of the family slipped out of the hotel where the women stayed for several months in 2007 and 2008 and complained to Belgian police.</s>A Belgian court on Friday convicted eight Emirati princesses fro human trafficking and given suspended jail terms in connection with treatment of servants at a Brussels luxury hotel nearly 10 years ago.

The women are from Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family, given 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment, the lawyer, Stephen Monod, said.

He said the defence was pleased the case was finally resolved after nearly a decade, reports Reuters.

"Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case which has generated many misconceptions," he said in a statement.

They were ordered to pay a fine of 165,000 euros ($184,000), with half the sum suspended, also, the defendants acquitted of the more serious charge of inhuman treatment.

The case was filed after a servant of the Emirati Royal family slipped out of the hotel and complained to Belgian police.</s>Eight Abu Dhabi princesses have been convicted of human trafficking over the way they treated servants in a luxury hotel at Brussels.

The women were handed 15-month suspended sentences for human trafficking and degrading treatment at a court in the Belgian capital.

They were acquitted of the more serious charge of inhuman treatment but also ordered to pay a fine of 165,000 euros (£145,000), with half the sum suspended.

The princesses, who are from Abu Dhabi's ruling al-Nahyan family, did not appear in court.

Defence lawyer Stephen Monod said he was pleased he case was finally resolved after nearly a decade.

He said in a statement: 'Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case which has generated many misconceptions'

The case was brought after a servant of the family slipped out of the hotel where the women stayed for several months in 2007 and 2008 and filed a report to Belgian police.

Police raided the then Conrad Hotel in 2008 where princess Sheikha Hamda Al-Nahyan, 64, and her seven daughters had rented the entire 4th floor for a few months.

They were alleged to have had people working round the clock, forcing some to sleep on the floor.

The princesses did not appear in court, only their legal representatives.</s>The case dates back to July 2008, when Princess Shekha Alnehayan, and her seven daughters rented an entire floor of Brussels' Conrad Hotel for several months and brought more than 20 servants with them.

According to the prosecution, the workers were "treated like slaves" and forced to attend to the princesses' every wish 24 hours a day, while not being given enough food or beds to sleep in. Prosecutors said the princesses had also confiscated their passports and refused to pay their salaries.

Authorities were made aware of the degrading conditions after one servant managed to flee the hotel and report the case to the police, who subsequently raided the hotel.

Sheikha Hamda al-Nahyan and her seven daughters, including their Indian butler. who didn't attend the trial denied all the charges.

Their lawyer, Stephen Monod, said he was "satisfied to note that the Belgian justice has appropriately assessed this case which has generated many misconceptions for nearly 10 years".

He was unable to confirm that his clients would pay their fines, saying they had not yet decided whether to appeal.
A Belgian court condemns a United Arab Emirates princess and her seven daughters to a fine and a suspended sentence, for human trafficking and mistreatment of their servants at a Brussels luxury hotel in 2008.