Britain's richest family found guilty of exploiting Swiss villa staff

Geneva

A Swiss court on Friday branded four members of Britain's wealthiest family, the Hinduja family, “selfish” and sentenced them to prison for exploiting Indian staff at their Geneva mansion.

Lawyers for the Swiss-Indian family, who were not present in court, said they would appeal the ruling.

The defendants were acquitted of human trafficking charges but found guilty of other charges in a surprising verdict for the family, whose fortune was estimated at 37 billion pounds ($47 billion) by The Sunday Times of London.

Prakash Hinduja, 78, and his wife Kamal Hinduja, 75, were each sentenced to four years and six months in prison, while his son Ajay, 56, and his wife Namrata, 50, were sentenced to four years, the Geneva presiding judge ruled. .

They were found guilty of “ringing” for taking advantage of vulnerable immigrant employees by paying them small sums of money.

“The staff’s lack of experience was taken advantage of,” Judge Sabina Mascoto said in her ruling. “They had little or no education and no knowledge of their rights.

“The defendant’s motivation was selfish,” she said, adding that Hindus were motivated by “a desire for gain.”

The court acquitted the workers of the more serious charge of human trafficking because they willingly traveled to Switzerland.

Salary $363

During the trial, Hinduja was accused of bringing a servant from his native India and confiscating his passport once he arrived in Switzerland.

Prosecutor Yves Bertossa accused Hindujas of “spending more money on dogs than on household staff.”

The judge said the family paid its domestic staff around 325 francs ($363) a month, up to 90% below the prevailing wage.

“The four Hinduja defendants were aware of the vulnerable position their employees were in and were aware of the laws in Switzerland,” Mascotto said.

The family denied the charges, claiming prosecutors “wanted to do it in Hinduja.”

They reached a secret out-of-court settlement with three of the employees who sued them, which led them to drop the legal action, their attorney said.

Nevertheless, the prosecution decided to indict because the charges were serious.

After the ruling, Bertossa sought an immediate detention order for Ajay and Namrata Hinduja, claiming they were flight risks.

The judge denied this and accepted the defense's argument that the family had ties to Switzerland. It was pointed out that Kamal Hinduja was hospitalized in Monaco and three other family members were at her hospital bedside.

The two elder Hindujas have been absent since the trial began due to health reasons.

Attorneys for the defendants who announced the appeal said in a statement, “We are appalled and [full of] “I am disappointed with the court’s decision.”

But he added: “The family has full faith in the judicial process and is confident that the truth will prevail.”

Not an abused slave

The defense argued the three employees received full benefits, were not quarantined and were free to leave the villa.

“We are not dealing with abused slaves,” Nicolas Jeandin told the court.

In fact, employees “were grateful to Hinduja for giving them a better life,” argued fellow lawyer Robert Assael.

Ajay Hinduja's lawyer, lawyer Yael Hayat, condemned the “excessive” prosecution and argued that the trial should be a matter of “justice, not social justice.”

Namrata Hinduja's lawyer, Romain Jordan, also pleaded not guilty, saying prosecutors were trying to make an example of the family.

He argued that the prosecution failed to mention any additional payments made to employees beyond their cash salaries.

“No employee was cheated out of their pay,” Assael added.

With interests in oil and gas, banking and healthcare, Hinduja Group has a presence in 38 countries and employs approximately 200,000 people.

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