The Hinduja family, the wealthiest family in the UK, has four members who are being prosecuted in Switzerland for mistreating their domestic workers.
The accusations include human trafficking and exploitation; it is said that Indian domestic workers received pitiful pay, were required to put in excessive hours, and had their passports seized.
The family is accused of spending more money on their dog than their servants, and this dramatic disparity between their claimed expenditures and the daily earnings of their workers has been highlighted by the trial.
The allegations against the family, who own a villa in the affluent Cologny area of Geneva, are all related to their hiring of Indian domestic helpers to take care of their kids and home.
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, together with their son Ajay and his spouse Namrata, are accused of seizing employee passports, paying them as little as $8 (£7) for eighteen-hour workdays, and limiting their ability to leave the house.
Despite reaching a financial deal last week regarding exploitation, the Hindujas are still facing prosecution for trafficking, a serious criminal violation in Switzerland.
They refute the accusations.
Yves Bertossa, a well-known prosecutor in Geneva, asserted in court this week that the family was paying their staff more each day than they were spending on their dog, claiming the family spent about $10,000 a year on the animal.
The attorneys for the Hinduja family did not directly refute the claims of low pay. Still, they did argue that they needed to be considered in the whole picture because the employees were also receiving housing and food.
The accusation of working excessive hours was also contested, with a defence attorney contending that seeing a movie with the Hinduja kids could not be considered employment.
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Testifying on behalf of the Hindujas, a few former workers described them as a kind family that respected their workers. However, the claims that the servants’ passports were seized and that they were not even allowed to leave the home without authorization are concerning as they can be seen as engaging in human trafficking.
In addition to millions of dollars in compensation and legal expenses, Mr. Bertossa is demanding jail sentences.
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