It has been alleged that the billionaire Hinduja family in the UK has been exploiting its household staff at their villa on Lake Geneva. They have been accused of confiscating the passports of their household staff and of paying a minimum wage of 8 dollars for a staggering 15-18 hours of work.
On Monday a trial had commenced against four members of the Hinduja family for alleged human trafficking. According to Bloomberg, the trial began in Switzerland days after the Hinduja family reached a deal resulting in three plaintiffs dropping their civil suit against them.
The supposed trial revolves around the allegations of the billionaire family confiscating the passports of their household staff further there were restrictions on their movement and they were not allowed to leave the house without gaining permission. Bloomberg reported that since they were compensated for their work in India, they did not have any Swiss currency when visiting the country. Bloomberg reported that since they were compensated for their work in India, they did not have any Swiss currency when visiting the country.
It was alleged that the billionaire family had spent more on their pet dog than paying the members of their household help, according to reports.
Prosecutor Yves Bertossa informed the court about a budget document referred to as “Pets,” revealing that a female staff member was paid as little as 7 Swiss francs ($7.84) for a working day lasting 15 to 18 hours, seven days a week. This amount was less than what the family spent on their pet dog in a year, which totaled 8,584 Swiss francs.
The prosecutors are advocating for lengthy sentences for four family members: Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay, and his wife Namrata. Yves Bertossa has also insisted that the family should cough up 1 million Swiss Francs in court costs and also give 3.5 million Francs as compensation for the staff.
The Hindujas’ lawyer has denied the allegations, stating that the family was not engaged in the hiring or daily management of the staff.
Speaking to Forbes, Romain Jordan, an attorney representing the Hindujas, criticized the prosecutors for showing “bias” against the billionaire family. “No other family would have been treated in this way. Our clients remain determined to defend themselves and have confidence in the judicial system,” Mr Jordan told Forbes.
“The salary can’t simply be reduced to what they were paid in cash,” given their board and lodgings were covered,” Bloomberg quoted another family lawyer Yael Hayat as saying. Mr Hayat further iterated that the allegations of an 18-hour workday were merely an exaggeration.
Ranked amongst India’s richest, the Hinduja family has a net worth of over 20 Billion Dollars. They control the multinational conglomerate Hinduja Group, which has an interest in various sectors such as Shipping, Banking, media and other industries with their foot in London’s real estate as well.
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