This billionaire household was found guilty of engaging in human trafficking and paying low wages while requiring long work hours.
A Swiss court issued its verdict on Friday, declaring a billionaire Indian family guilty of various charges, including human trafficking, labor exploitation, and confiscation of passports of domestic workers at their residence in Geneva.
Who are The Hindujas?
The Hindujas originally built their wealth through a trading business in British India that evolved into the international distribution of Bollywood movies thanks to the efforts of four family sons.
Today, the prominent family has diversified investments in various sectors such as media, finance, and energy, holding significant ownership stakes in leading Indian companies. Their combined wealth is estimated to be approximately $14 billion, firmly establishing them as one of the most affluent and influential families in the dynamic landscape of Asian business.
The claims and conviction
In 2018, Swiss prosecutors initiated a case by conducting raids on the Geneva villa, Hinduja banks, and other businesses associated with the Hinduja Group. During the investigation, it was discovered that the family had been exploiting their employees by engaging in unauthorized employment practices. The workers were found to be receiving wages that were less than one-tenth of the standard, and they were provided with minimal to no health benefits.
The Hinduja residence in Geneva was reported to have created an atmosphere of fear among its domestic staff. These employees were required to work exceptionally long hours, toiling for 18 hours each day, seven days a week, without any days off or additional pay. The living conditions were deplorable, with the staff residing in cramped quarters reminiscent of a basement and sleeping on meager mattresses laid directly on the floor.
Employees who exclusively spoke Hindi and possessed lower levels of expertise were remunerated in rupees, which were deposited into accounts that were difficult to access in their home country. They received an average daily wage of around 700 rupees (equivalent to 7 euros) and were seldom granted permission to leave their place of residence.
The Swiss government discovered that the documentation for foreign workers entering the country was not properly filled out. As a result, these workers were granted multiple short-term visa renewals for the Schengen-zone EU, which was done to bewilder the Swiss officials.
During the trial, it was disclosed that the defendant’s income was lower than the amount spent on the family’s pet dog.
The defense
The domestic workers of a wealthy UK family, comprising Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, along with Ajay and his wife Namrata, have been convicted of mistreatment, confiscation of passports, and manipulation of the Swiss government’s immigration system.
The defense focused its argument on stating that the household staff were provided with health benefits and had the option to leave the villa. They also stressed that the person convicted did not personally hire any of the household staff and that all immigration procedures were handled by a third party without that person’s knowledge.
Unfortunately, due to health issues, the first Prakash and Kamal Ahuja, who are both senior citizens, were unable to attend the court case and Despite not being present, they were both given a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence. Ajay and Namrata also received prison terms of approximately 4 years each from the Swiss court.
