According to the prosecutor, the family spent more money on the care of the dog than on the salary of their employees.
Four members of Britain’s richest family have received prison terms in a trial in Switzerland. The father of the Hinduja family Prakash and mother Terrible got four and a half year sentences, son Drive Y and daughter-in-law Napping four-year sentences. They were believed to have exploited staff working at their villa in Switzerland.
Human trafficking charges were dropped. In court, it was considered proven that the Hindujas had taken advantage of the immigrants’ ignorance of the prevailing working conditions in Switzerland. According to the indictment, they had produced servants from India, paid them negligible wages, confiscated the passports of their workers and restricted their movement.
The family denied the charges, and lawyers for the family have said they plan to appeal Friday’s verdicts. Before the trial, the Hindujas had agreed to pay compensation to their employees, but the prosecutor’s office decided to continue the legal process due to the importance of the case. The Hindus themselves were not present at the trial.
Prosecutor By Yves Bertossa according to the Hindujas paid their staff 220-400 Swiss francs (230-420 euros) per month, well below the country’s normal wage level. Bertossa painted in court that the Hindujas spent more money on the care of their dog than on paying the wages of their employees.
According to the defense of the Hinduja family, the employees received excellent employment benefits and could leave the villa whenever they wanted. The lawyer who represented the family Romain Jordan felt that Hinduja had been blindsided by the prosecutor’s office.
The Hinduja family company has businesses in oil and gas production, banking and healthcare. The Hinduja Group company operates in 38 countries and employs approximately 200,000 people. The family’s wealth is estimated at around 44 billion euros.