4 Members of Hinduja Family face jail for Exploiting Servants

Four members of the billionaire Hinduja family have been found guilty of exploiting domestic workers at a luxury villa in Geneva.

They were convicted at a Swiss court but they were acquitted of the more serious charge of human trafficking.

Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay and their daughter-in-law Namrata were charged with trafficking and exploiting several workers from India.

They were accused of confiscating the employees’ passports and forcing them to work 16 hours a day or longer without overtime pay in the villa.

Lawyers representing the Hindujas had denied the allegations.

On June 21, 2024, Prakash and Kamal were sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

Ajay and Namrata Hinduja received four years.

They were also ordered to pay about £750,000 in compensation, as well as about £237,000 in procedural fees.

Najib Ziazi, a business adviser for the family who also faced charges, was found complicit in the exploitation.

Lead prosecutor Yves Bertossa claimed the family had budgeted more for a pet than it had for the salary of one domestic worker.

Some domestic workers, who took care of children or housework, were paid as little as Rs. 10,000 (£95) a month.

According to the indictment, many of the workers were from poor backgrounds in India and had toiled “from dawn until late in the evening” without overtime pay.

Their salaries were paid into Indian bank accounts that they could not easily get access to.

Prosecutors alleged that the Hinduja family had confiscated the domestic workers’ passports and told them not to leave the villa, where they slept in bunk beds in a windowless basement room.

The workers were expected to be available at all times, including on trips to France and Monaco, where they toiled under the same conditions.

Representing the family, Romain Jordan said they were “exaggerated and biased allegations”.

In a statement before the verdict, Mr Jordan said:

“The members of the Hinduja family vigorously deny these allegations and remain determined to defend themselves.”

A civil case involving the main accusers, who worked for the family, was previously settled.

In the criminal case, prosecutors had sought prison sentences of up to five and a half years, along with millions of francs in fines and compensation.

The Hinduja family leads a multinational conglomerate with large holdings in automotive manufacturing, banking, oil and gas, real estate and health care.

Their net worth is estimated to be £37 billion, making them Britain’s richest family.