June 21st 2024.
On Friday, a Swiss criminal court made a decision regarding the wealthy Hinduja family. Four members of the family were sentenced to prison for exploiting their domestic workers. The court handed out sentences ranging from four to 4 1/2 years. However, the more severe charges of human trafficking were dismissed.
The four individuals, Prakash Hinduja, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, were accused of trafficking their workers, who were mostly illiterate Indians. These workers were employed at the Hinduja's lavish lakeside villa in Geneva. The family members were not present in court, but their business manager, Najib Ziazi, was in attendance and received a suspended sentence of 18 months. The defendants' lawyers have stated that they will be appealing the decision.
The court found the four guilty of exploiting workers and providing unauthorized employment. However, they dismissed the trafficking charges, stating that the workers were aware of the terms and conditions of their employment. The Hinduja family was accused of confiscating their workers' passports, paying them in Indian rupees instead of Swiss francs, and not allowing them to leave the villa. The workers were also allegedly made to work long hours for very little pay.
Last week, it was revealed that the Hinduja family had reached a settlement with the plaintiffs, although the details of the settlement were not disclosed. The criminal case against the family was opened by Geneva prosecutors for illegal activities such as exploitation, human trafficking, and violation of Swiss labor laws.
The Hinduja family has been living in Switzerland for many years, and Prakash Hinduja was previously convicted in 2007 for similar charges. However, prosecutors claim that he continued to employ workers without proper paperwork. Swiss authorities have already seized assets from the family, including diamonds, rubies, and a platinum necklace, in anticipation of legal fees and penalties.
According to prosecutors, the workers were forced to work up to 18 hours a day, with little to no vacation time, and for a fraction of the pay required by Swiss law. They were also made to work even longer hours for receptions and were forced to sleep in the basement of the villa. The atmosphere at the villa, located in the upscale Cologny neighborhood, was described as one of fear, created by Kamal Hinduja.
Some workers only spoke Hindi and were paid in Indian rupees, which they could not access in Swiss banks. In addition to the criminal case, Prakash Hinduja is also facing a separate tax case brought by Swiss authorities. He became a Swiss citizen in 2000 and, along with his three brothers, is a leader of an industrial conglomerate with a net worth of approximately $20 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
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