In a significant legal development, a Swiss court has convicted four members of the Hinduja family, one of Britain’s wealthiest families, and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to four and a half years. The case involved the exploitation of domestic workers brought from India to the family’s Lake Geneva residence. While human trafficking charges were dismissed, the court found the family guilty of severely mistreating their domestic staff and providing them minimal health benefits.
The court sentenced Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal Hinduja to four and a half years each. Their son, Ajay Hinduja, and his wife, Namrata Hinduja, received four years each. The family plans to appeal the verdict.
According to the ruling, the Hinduja family members were found to have exploited their household staff by paying them significantly below the minimum wage standards for such jobs in Switzerland. The employees reportedly received about one-tenth of the salary typical for similar positions in Switzerland, with payments made in Indian rupees instead of Swiss francs.
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Prosecutors highlighted the family’s harsh treatment of their workers, including confiscating their passports and limiting their freedom of movement. It was also revealed in court that the employees were forced to work up to 18 hours a day without adequate days off, while being paid significantly less than what was spent annually on the family’s pet dog.
The Hinduja family, originally from India and settled in Switzerland since the late 1980s, has interests in various sectors including IT, media, power, real estate, and healthcare.
