A Swiss court has sentenced four members of the wealthy Hinduja family to up to 4 1/2 years in jail on Friday for exploiting their domestic workers.
Members of the family were accused of trafficking mostly-illiterate domestic workers from India, confiscating their passports, and forcing them to work 16-hour days in their Geneva villa without overtime pay.
The domestic workers were paid between 220 and 400 francs ($250-450) a month — a wage far below what they could expect to earn in Switzerland. However, this wage was paid in Indian rupees into banks back home that the workers could not physically access.
“They’re profiting from the misery of the world,” Geneva prosecutor Yves Bertossa told the court.
With a fortune estimated at estimated at £37 billion ($47 billion, €43 billion), the Sunday Times Rich List ranks the Hindujas as the richest family in the United Kingdom. The family owns the Hinduja Group, which has interests in banking, oil, media, healthcare, entertainment and chemicals.
What sentences did the Hinduja family receive?
Prakash and his wife Kamal Hinduja were each sentenced to four years and six months in prison for exploiting their vulnerable domestic workers.
Their son Ajay and his wife Namrata also received four-year terms.
The family’s business manager received an 18-month suspended sentence.
The court dismissed the more severe charges of human trafficking charges against the family with roots in India.
Hinduja family to appeal ruling
The Hinduja family was not present in court on Friday. Their lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.
During the hearing, the family’s lawyers claimed that the domestic workers received ample benefits and were not mistreated.
“We are not dealing with mistreated slaves,” lawyer Nicolas Jeandin told the court.
Another of the family’s lawyers, Robert Assael, argued that the workers “were grateful to the Hindujas for offering them a better life.”
zc/lo (AFP, AP)
