Four members of the UK’s wealthiest family are on trial in Switzerland, accused of spending more on their dog’s care than on their servants.
The Hinduja family, with an estimated net worth of £37bn ($47bn), faces charges of exploitation and human trafficking.
The family owns a villa in the affluent Cologny neighborhood of Geneva, and the accusations stem from their practice of importing servants from India to care for their children and household.
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, along with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, are alleged to have confiscated staff passports, paid them as little as $8 (£7) for 18-hour workdays, and restricted their freedom to leave the house.
Despite reaching a financial settlement over exploitation last week, the Hindujas continue to face trial for trafficking, a serious criminal offense in Switzerland. They deny the charges.
In court this week, prominent Geneva prosecutor Yves Bertossa highlighted the contrast between the nearly $10,000 a year the family allegedly spent on their dog and the daily amount paid to their servants.
The Hinduja family’s lawyers did not specifically deny the low wage allegations but argued they must be viewed in context, noting that staff received accommodation and food.
The charge of long working hours was also disputed, with a defense lawyer claiming that activities like watching a film with the Hinduja children could not be considered work.
Some former servants testified in favor of the Hindujas, describing them as a friendly family who treated their staff with dignity.
However, the allegations of confiscating passports and restricting movement are serious, potentially constituting human trafficking.
Mr. Bertossa is seeking prison terms, along with millions of dollars in compensation and legal fees.
Dark side of Geneva
This is not the first time Geneva, a hub for international organizations and the world’s wealthy, has faced scrutiny over the alleged mistreatment of servants.
In 2008, Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was arrested in his five-star Geneva hotel after police received information that he and his wife had been beating their servants, including with a coat hanger. The case was later dropped, but it caused a major diplomatic row between Switzerland and Libya, resulting in the arrest of two Swiss citizens in Tripoli as a retaliatory measure.
Just 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 ongoing, high-profile case involving the Hindujas will once again draw attention to the darker, more troubling aspects of a city that likes to call itself “the city of peace.”