UK's Wealthiest Family Convicted of Servant Exploitation
Four of the wealthiest families in the UK have received prison terms ranging from four to four and a half years from a Swiss court.
The charges of exploitation—which the Swiss penal law refers to as usury—and illegal employment were brought against Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, as well as their son Ajay and his spouse Namrata.
On the more serious accusation of human trafficking, however, they were found not guilty.
Indian laborers said their families paid them as little as £7 ($8) for eighteen-hour workdays—less than tenth of what Swiss law required.
Additionally, they said that the family, whose wealth is thought to be worth approximately £37 billion, seldom ever permitted them to leave the property in the affluent Cologny neighborhood of Geneva.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged the family spent more on their dog than on their servants.
The elder Hindujas, both over 70, have not been attending court proceedings, pleading ill health. Ajay and Namrata had been present, but they were not in court to hear the verdict.
The Geneva prosecutor has called for their immediate detention.
It is not the first time that Geneva, a hub for international organisations as well as the world’s wealthy, has been in the spotlight over the alleged mistreatment of servants.
Last year, four domestic workers from the Philippines launched a case against one of Geneva’s diplomatic missions to the United Nations, claiming they had not been paid for years.
The Hinduja family own Hinduja Group, a multinational group with interests in oil, gas, and banking. The family also own Raffles hotel in London.