UK’s Richest Hinduja Family Charged with Worker Abuse and Trafficking in Geneva Villa
The Hindujas are one of the richest families in Britain, and their net worth is in the billions of dollars. However, this time they are in the news for the wrong reasons and have been charged with alleged abuse and human trafficking at their Lake Geneva villa.
The prosecutors have accused the family members of paying just $8 for an 18-hour shift to the workers. They have also been accused of confiscating the workers’ passports and restricting their free movement.
Hinduja Family Faces Serious Charges of Human Trafficking and Worker Exploitation
In what can be described as a modern-day grim paradox, the prosecutors produced budget documents which revealed that the family spent 8,584 Swiss francs ($9,669) in a year on their family dog, which is many times what the family paid to a worker in a year. The prosecutors also said that the staff contract didn’t mention specific working hour details and the employees had to be available 24/7 whenever ordered to work.
The lawsuit made four members of the Hinduja family defendants—78-year-old Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay, and his wife Namrata. Ajay had testified before the court that the family does not employ the workers and it is handled by its branch in India. The other members of the family who had been made defendants did not appear before the court, citing health reasons.
Response by the Hinduja family lawyer
Attorneys representing the family have denied any wrongdoing and stated that the prosecutor was misleading the court. They added that all servants and workers were treated with utmost dignity and respect.
Yael Hayat, a lawyer representing Ajay Hinduja, said, “When they sit down to watch a movie with the kids, can that be considered work? I think not.”
Yael also added that the servants themselves said that what they are paid in Geneva is far better than their wages in India. The Geneva prosecutor’s office was conflating justice with social justice, the lawyer said. The lawyer also repeated that the family is not involved in the hiring or day-to-day handling of staff.
The lawyers also said that the payments must also take into account the facilities received by the workers, which also include accommodation and food. The lawyers added that normal activities such as watching films with the kids cannot be classified as work.
The case once again brought into the limelight the issue of the mistreatment of servants in Geneva by wealthy oligarchs of the city. Readers might remember that in 2008, Hannibal Gaddafi was arrested in a case involving domestic workers from the Philippines.
