Four members of Britain’s richest family have been charged with human trafficking in Switzerland.
Staff from India allegedly looked after their children and households while their passports were confiscated and they worked for low wages.
– They spent more on a dog than they did on one of their servants, says prosecutor Yves Bertoss.
The family, which is said to have a wealth of around 37 billion pounds, equivalent to almost 500 billion Swedish kronor, owns a villa in the luxurious area of Cologny in the Swiss city of Geneva, reports the BBC.
According to the indictment, the family allegedly brought in staff from India to take care of their children and the villa in Geneva. The employees’ passports must have been confiscated and they must have limited freedom. For an 18-hour working day, they should have been paid 7 pounds, equivalent to around 75 kroner.
Prosecutor: Put more money on the dog than the staff
The Swiss prosecutor, Yves Bertoss, has also compared the payments to the staff with the sums the family spent on their dog. Prosecutors said the family spent around $10,000 a year on the dog.
– They spent more on a dog than they did on one of their servants, says Bertoss.
The parties have reportedly reached a financial settlement regarding the charge of exploitation, but the accusations of human trafficking remain. The family denies any crime and claims through their lawyers, among other things, that the employees received food and accommodation. The long hours were also questioned. The family’s lawyers argued that it could not be classed as work when the staff watched movies with the children they looked after.
Asking for jail time and millions in fines
The charge regarding human trafficking mainly concerns the fact that the employees were not allowed to leave the house without permission, and that their passports were confiscated by the family. According to Bloomberg said the employees did not have access to any Swiss money, as the salary was paid in India, which also limited their freedom.
In the contract, the working hours should not have been specified and the employees were expected to be available when the family needed them, according to the prosecutor.
Prosecutors are now asking Bertoss for prison terms and a fine of several million dollars.