Four members of the UK’s wealthiest family have been sentenced to prison for exploiting staff brought from India to work at their villa in Geneva.
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, along with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, were found guilty by a Swiss court of exploitation and illegal employment, receiving sentences ranging from four to four-and-a-half years.
However, they were acquitted of the more serious charge of human trafficking.
The defendants’ lawyers have announced their intention to appeal the ruling.
Speaking outside the court, Robert Assael, the lawyer for the defendants, expressed his dismay, stating: “I’m shocked. We’re going to fight it to the bitter end.”
Three workers from India alleged that the family paid them as little as £7 ($8) to work 18-hour days, which is less than a tenth of the amount required under Swiss law, and confiscated their passports.
The workers also claimed that the family, whose fortune is estimated at around £37 billion, rarely allowed them to leave the house in Geneva’s affluent Cologny neighborhood.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that the family spent more on their dog than on their servants.
The defense contended that the employees received ample benefits, were not kept in isolation, and were free to leave the villa.
The employees “were grateful to the Hindujas for offering them a better life”, Mr Assael argued.
The elder Hindujas, both over 70, did not attend court proceedings due to ill health. Ajay and Namrata attended court but were not present for the verdict.
After the verdict, the prosecution requested an immediate detention order for Ajay and Namrata, but the judge denied this request.
The defense stated that Kamal Hinduja is currently hospitalized in Monaco, with the other three family members by his bedside.
This is not the first instance of Geneva, a hub for international organizations and the wealthy, being spotlighted for the alleged mistreatment of servants. Last year, four domestic workers from the Philippines filed a case against one of Geneva’s diplomatic missions to the United Nations, claiming they had not been paid for years.
The Hinduja family owns the Hinduja Group, a multinational conglomerate with interests in oil, gas, and banking, as well as the Raffles hotel in London.