Volkswagen is expected to appear before a court in Brazil this week facing charges of “slavery-like” practices and human trafficking between 1974 and 1986.

In the age of ESG (environmental, social, and governance), the indictment is a timely reminder for multinationals that alleged abuses of the past can continue to have repercussions long into the future.

Brazilian prosecutors have accused Volkswagen of being involved in “systematic human rights violations” while working to build a large agricultural site on the edge of the Amazon basin for the meat trade.