Monday started in Swiss a media trial against four members of the richest family in the world United Kingdom, the Hindujas, who are accused of human trafficking and exploiting their employees in their villa on Lake Geneva. Prosecutors have requested prison sentences of up to five and a half years.
The family members Hinduja, Prakash and Kamalalong with his son Ajay and his wife, Namrataare marked for bringing from the India men and women to work as domestic servants in one of his Geneva mansions and to pay them barely US$8 a day for long hours work hours that lasted from 3 to 6 p.m. Besides, their passports would have been confiscated. A lawyer for the family has denied the allegations, according to Bloomberg.
For its part, Forbes explained that the criminal trial It began days after the Hinduja solved a civil case by labor exploitation presented by staff and whose details have not been known. The parties reached a settlement six years after the civil suit was filed.
Ajay Hinduja and his wife Namrata, two of the defendants in Switzerland.
Confiscated passports, $8 salary and long work hours
Under the parameters of Swiss legislation, the accusation that the workers their passports were confiscated and that they could not leave the house without permission could constitute the crime of human trafficking.
At the start of the trial on Monday, the prosecutor Yves Bertossa He attacked the family by citing the testimony of the Indian employees and the evidence he gathered during his investigation.
““They spent more on a dog than on one of their servants.”he denounced Bertossaaccording to Bloomberg.
The prosecutor revealed that one of the nannies earned only US$7.84 for an 18-hour workday, while documents obtained by his office titled “Pets” indicated that the family spent more than 9,000 Swiss francs (more than US$10,000) annually on feeding and caring for one of their dogs.
Besides, The prosecutor reported that the staff contracts did not specify working hours or days off.. On the contrary, everyone had to be available according to the needs of their employer.
Once your passportsThe prosecutor explained, servants were not allowed to leave the employer’s house without permission. He also said that They were paid for their work in Indian rupees and not in Swiss francs, the currency of the Alpine country, so they had little freedom to move around Swiss.
Namrata Hinduja (left) and Ajay Hinduja (second from right) arrive at the Geneva court with their lawyers. (Photo by GABRIEL MONNET / AFP).
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The unusual defense of the Hinduja
The family lawyers Hinduja They did not deny the accusations of low wages, but they appealed to questionable arguments to justify them. They also ensured that employees were always treated with respect and dignity, Bloomberg said.
Yael Hayatlawyer of Ajay Hindujasaid that claims of an 18-hour workday were an exaggeration and that the staff’s food and lodging, which were paid for by the family, would have to be added to the $8-a-day salary.
“You cannot reduce (the concept of salary) simply to what they were paid in cash”Hayat said.
Regarding excessive working hours, Hayat said: “When you sit down to watch a movie with your kids, can that be considered work? I don’t think so”.
To demonstrate that their clients were not exploiters, the lawyers claimed that several of the alleged victims worked for the family repeatedly, which, in their opinion, showed that they were satisfied with their working conditions.
The defense also got some former employees to testify on behalf of the Hindujawhom they described as a friendly family that He treated his servants with dignity, BBC Mundo noted.
The lawyers noted that the family members themselves were not involved in the hiring or day-to-day management of the staff.
Romain Jordan, another attorney for the family, said in a statement to Forbes that the criminal charge is “excessive” and said the prosecutor was biased against the Hinduja: “No other family would have been treated this way. “Our clients remain determined to defend themselves and have confidence in the judicial system,” she said.
Prosecutors demand that in addition to the prison sentence, a compensation fund worth several million dollars for staff members.
Renault-Nissan CEO and Chairman Carlos Ghosn (R) and Hinduja Group Co-Chairman GP Hinduja pose for a photo after the launch of the Hinduja Group’s flagship brand on July 16, 2013. (Manjunath Kiran / AFP).
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The Hinduja family
According to BBC Mundo, the Hinduja They are originally from India and they control a business group that bears their name and manages everything from construction companies, merchandise distributors and vehicle manufacturers to lubricant producers and banks.
Hinduja Group was founded by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja in 1914 in part of what it is today Pakistan. At that time he started selling products, and later ventured into banking.
In 1919, Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja expanded its business to Iranwhere it operated until the arrival of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when they moved their operations to United Kingdom.
According to their website, today Hinduja Group is one of the world’s largest diversified conglomerates and is present on all continents. It employs more than 200,000 people and has offices in many key cities around the world and major cities in India.
The business conglomerate is valued at US$47 billionaccording to BBC Mundo.
“The Hinduja family has always adapted to free market reforms, moving quickly into new markets that have opened up and capitalizing on new economic opportunities. As a result, Hinduja Group is now strategically positioned to contribute in the old economy sectors, such as banking and finance, mobility and energy, as well as in the new economy, technology, media and renewable energy sectors,” says the Hinduja Group website. Hinduja Group.
The review also highlights that The Hinduja are firm believers in traditional family values and who have strived to instill the concept of family in their commercial companies, following the philosophy of their founder.
BBC Mundo reported that in the United Kingdom, the family Hinduja has purchased valuable real estate properties.
In London, they own the Raffles hotel, which opened in September 2023 and is located in the historic Old War Office building in Whitehall, the former Ministry of Defense, located a few meters from 10 Downing StreetForbes magazine reported.
In addition, they own part of the exclusive Carlton House Terrace, a huge building that houses offices, residences and event rooms, and is located very close to Buckingham Palace.
In June 2020, BBC Mundo specifies, a court file in the United Kingdom revealed that relations between the brothers were not as harmonious as was thought.
The documents showed that the deceased Srichandone of the founder’s sons, faced his younger brothers in court over the ownership of a bank in Geneva.
