Swiss court sentences 4 members of Hinduja family to 4.5 years in jail

Geneva: A Swiss court on Friday found members of Britain’s wealthiest family guilty of exploiting domestic workers at a luxury villa in Geneva, but acquitted them of the more serious charge of human trafficking.

A court dismissed more serious charges of human trafficking against 79-year-old tycoon Prakash Hinduja; his wife, Kamal; son Ajay and daughter-in-law Namrata on the grounds that the workers understood what they were getting into, at least in part. The four received between four and 4 1/2 years in prison.

The family was accused of trafficking their mostly illiterate Indian servants, who worked at their luxurious lakeside villa in Geneva. Although absent from the court proceedings, the family's business manager, Najib Ziazi, received an 18-month suspended sentence. Lawyers representing the defendants expressed their intention to appeal the verdict.

Allegations included seizing workers' passports, paying wages in Indian rupees rather than Swiss francs, restricting their freedom to leave the villa, and forcing them to work excessively long hours for minimal pay in Switzerland.

Recently, it was revealed in court that the family, which has deep roots in India, had reached an undisclosed settlement with the plaintiffs. Geneva prosecutors initiated the case due to alleged illegal activities, including exploitation, human trafficking, and violations of Swiss labor laws.

The Hinduja family has been residing in Switzerland for decades, and Prakash Hinduja was previously convicted in 2007 on similar charges, despite persisting in employing individuals without proper documentation. Swiss authorities preemptively seized diamonds, rubies, a platinum necklace, and other assets from the family to cover potential legal fees and penalties.

Prosecutors detailed that employees, employed in roles such as cooks or domestic help, were occasionally required to work up to eighteen hours daily without adequate vacation time. The employees received compensation equating to less than a tenth of the amount stipulated under Swiss law.

According to prosecutors, employees often worked longer hours at receptions and slept in the basement of the villa located in the upscale Cologny neighborhood, sometimes on a floor mattress. Kamal Hinduja enforced a "climate of fear," prosecutors reported.

Some employees could only speak Hindi and were compensated in Indian rupees that were deposited into banks in their homeland and unavailable for access.

Prakash Hinduja, who became a Swiss citizen in 2000, is dealing with an individual tax case initiated by Swiss authorities. He, along with his three brothers, holds an influential position within an industrial conglomerate spanning sectors such as information technology, media, power, real estate, and healthcare. As per Forbes magazine, the current estimated net worth of the Hinduja family amounts to approximately $20 billion.