The Hinduja family, the wealthiest family in the United Kingdom, has had four of its members sentenced to over four years in prison each for exploiting Indian servants at their Swiss mansion. They had imported the servants from India, their home country, to work in the mansion and paid them far less than the going rate. Additional reports indicated that they also withheld their passports to prevent them from leaving.
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, along with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, were convicted by a Swiss court of exploitation and illegal employment. The sentences range from four to four and a half years. The family also faced charges of human trafficking but were acquitted.
The family's legal representatives have announced their intention to appeal the ruling. "I'm shocked. We're going to fight it to the bitter end," said lawyer Robert Assael.
The case revolves around Indian workers who claimed they were paid approximately $8 per day for 18-hour workdays, a figure significantly below Swiss legal requirements. According to the BBC, their passports were confiscated, and they were seldom allowed to leave the family's luxurious home in the affluent neighborhood of Cologny.
Prosecutors highlighted that the family, whose fortune is estimated at around £37 billion, and who owns the multinational Hinduja Group with interests in oil, gas, and banking, neglected the welfare of their staff, allegedly spending more time on their pet dog than on the servants.
The defense argued that the employees were not forced to stay at the home and were free to leave at their will. They also claimed the family gave the Indian servants various benefits. Assael argued that the employees were “grateful to the Hindujas for offering them a better life.”
