The family denied the accusations, claiming that prosecutors wanted to “target the Hindujas”.
A Swiss court on Friday sentenced four members of Britain’s richest family to prison terms for exploiting Indian officials at their Geneva mansion.
The Hindujas – who were not present in court – were acquitted of human trafficking but convicted on other charges, in a surprising verdict for the family whose fortune is estimated at 37 billion pounds ($47 billion).
Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal Hinduja received four years and six months each, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata received four-year sentences, the presiding judge in Geneva ruled.
The cases stem from the family’s practice of bringing in employees from their native India and included accusations of confiscating their passports once they were flown to Switzerland.
Prosecutors argued that the Hindujas paid their employees a pittance and gave them little freedom to leave their homes.
The family denied the accusations, claiming that prosecutors wanted to “target the Hindujas”.
The Hindujas reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with the three employees who made the allegations against them.
Despite this, the prosecution decided to pursue the case due to the seriousness of the charges.
Geneva prosecutor Yves Bertossa requested a prison sentence of five and a half years against Prakash and Kamal Hinduja.
Aged 78 and 75, respectively, both had been absent since the start of the trial for health reasons.
In his closing speech, the prosecutor accused the family of abusing the “asymmetrical situation” between a powerful employer and a vulnerable employee to save money.
Domestic staff received salaries of between 220 and 400 francs ($250-450) per month, far below what they could expect to earn in Switzerland.
“They are profiting from the misery of the world,” Bertossa told the court.
‘Slaves not mistreated’
But defense lawyers for the Hinduja family argued that the three complainants received ample benefits, were not kept in isolation and were free to leave the villa.
“We are not dealing with mistreated slaves,” Nicolas Jeandin told the court.
In fact, the officials “were grateful to the Hindus for offering them a better life”, argued fellow lawyer Robert Assael.
Representing Ajay Hinduja, lawyer Yael Hayat criticized the “excessive” prosecution, arguing that the trial should be a matter of “fairness, not social justice”.
Namrata Hinduja’s lawyer, Romain Jordan, also asked for an acquittal, claiming that prosecutors intended to make an example of the family.
He argued that the prosecution did not mention payments made to employees other than their cash salaries.
“No employee was defrauded of their wages,” Assael added.
Some employees even asked for raises, which they received.
With interests in oil and gas, banking and healthcare, the Hinduja Group is present in 38 countries and employs around 200,000 people.
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