Four partners of the prominent Hinduja family were convicted on Friday for exploiting underpaid servants at their outclass villa in Geneva, Switzerland. The elder family partners, Prakash Hinduja (78) and Kamal Hinduja (75), who were not present from the trial due to health problems, received sentences of 4 1/2 years each. Ajay Hinduja and his wife Namrata, who were also not in the courtroom, were sentenced to 4 years, as declared by Bloomberg.
The Hindujas said that their dismay at the court’s decision and announced an appeal has been filed to a higher bench. They hope to overturn the verdict, which finds them guilty of exploiting vulnerable domestic users, as reported by PTI.
Hinduja family reacts to rules
“Our customers have been acquitted of all human trafficking reacty. We are appalled and disappointed by the rest of the decision made in this court of foremost instance, and we have of course filed an appeal to the higher court thereby producing this part of the judgment not effective. Under Swiss law, the presumption of innocence is paramount till a last judgment by the largest adjudicating authority is enforced,” expressed the family said in a media statement.
Following his death in May 2023, Gopichand Hinduja assumed the position of Chairman and is recognized for the Group’s ventures into the energy and infrastructure parts. The brothers later shifted their sector to London in 1979, where it remains today, with the team claiming to employ 200,000 individuals globally.
The Hinduja family, known for their vast organization empire spanning different parts, tops the Sunday Times list of the UK’s 350 richest people with an approximate fortune of £37 billion.
The conviction stemmed from a case that started in 2018 when Swiss prosecutors, acting on a tip-off, raided the Hinduja house, Hinduja Bank offices, and other local works owned by the Hinduja Group. Reports and hard drives were seized as evidence.
The court found the four family partners guilty of giving unauthorized employment, providing minimal health advantages, and paying wages less than one-tenth of the standard rate for such jobs in Switzerland, as documented by reporter.
Prosecutors highlighted that the employees endured unauthorized situations, operating with little or no vacation, extended hours for receptions, and often slept in the basement on bed. Swiss authorities have confiscated valuable assets, containing diamonds, rubies, a platinum necklace, and other jewelry, to hold potential legal charges and penalties, according to PTI.