The Milan public prosecutor’s office is investigating three executives of luxury shoe brand Tod’s, as well as the company itself, over alleged labour exploitation, according to court documents seen by AFP on Thursday.

Prosecutors allege that the brand, known for its loafers, was fully aware of exploitation involving Chinese subcontractors, which included violations relating to working hours, pay, health and safety, as well as “degrading” living conditions.

According to prosecutors, the company was “devoid of organisational models” to prevent the exploitation of subcontracted workers, the court document states.

“In particular, it outsourced the audit function to external providers and then failed to take into account, even minimally, the results of those inspections, which revealed numerous signs of exploitation,” the document says.

The Tod’s executives under investigation are responsible for operations, supply chain matters and compliance. The individuals allegedly exploited were 53 workers, mostly Chinese, employed by six different Tod’s subcontractors, according to the document…

The 144-page court document includes the accusations of a Chinese worker who claims that, at one subcontractor, his boss beat him with his fists and a long plastic-and-aluminium tube in a dispute over €10,000 in unpaid wages…

In a statement on Thursday, the company said it was currently examining the additional elements with the same care…