Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 21, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleLucas Hernandez and partner are accused of human trafficking by a Colombian family. They deny wrongdoing, claiming manipulation.
PARIS, Jan 21 (Reuters) - French prosecutors are investigating Paris St Germain and France defender Lucas Hernandez and his partner following allegations of human trafficking and illegal employment by a Colombian family, a judicial source said on Wednesday.
They pair denied any wrongdoing, saying they acted with good faith and kindness but had been manipulated.
The probe, opened by the Versailles prosecutor’s office, concerns accusations that the family of five was employed without legal status between September 2024 and November 2025, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyer Lola Dubois.
The Colombians, who performed babysitting and security roles, had no days off and sometimes worked up to 82 hours a week, Dubois told Reuters.
In a statement sent to Reuters, 2018 World Cup winner Hernandez and his partner Victoria Triay rejected the accusations. "We opened our home and our lives to people who presented themselves as friends, who sought our kindness and for whom we had genuine affection," they said.
"They shared our lives with respect and dignity. We helped them, supported them and believed them when they told us they were in the process of regularising their situation. That trust was betrayed.”
In the statement, the couple said they were manipulated by emotional stories and false assurances and never acted with contempt for the law. "We acted as human beings — and learned, painfully, that compassion can be exploited,” they said.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot and Vincent Daheron; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of humans for the purposes of forced labor, sexual exploitation, or other forms of exploitation. It is a serious crime and a violation of human rights.
Illegal employment refers to hiring individuals without proper legal authorization or documentation, often violating labor laws. This can include employing undocumented workers or failing to adhere to labor regulations.
A legal investigation is a formal inquiry conducted by law enforcement or legal authorities to gather evidence and facts related to a potential crime or legal violation.
Social responsibility is the ethical framework that suggests individuals and organizations have an obligation to act for the benefit of society at large, including ethical labor practices and community support.
A judicial source refers to information or documentation that originates from a court or legal authority, often used to provide evidence or context in legal matters.
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