"We're pleased with the formal investigation," said Sandra Cossart, head of Sherpa France. "The judge is sending a strong signal, as it's the first time that a company is charged on this basis for one of its subsidiaries' activities abroad."
The move follows a 2019 complaint filed by two NGOs, Paris-based human rights group Sherpa and the committee against modern slavery (CCEM), alongside 11 people who used to work for Qatari Diar Vinci Construction (QDVC), Vinci's Qatari subsidiary, in which the French company owns a 49% stake.
The two NGOs and former workers' complaint accuses Vinci of "forced labour" and "keeping people in servitude", among other charges.
Vinci said through its lawyer Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi that it would immediately appeal the decision. The company was not immediately available for comment.