Four members of The richest family in the United Kingdom are on trial in Switzerland for alleged human trafficking and exploitation. Swiss justice accuses Prakash and Kamal Hindujaalong with his son Ajay and his wife, Namratato bring from India men and women to work as domestic servants in a mansion they have in an exclusive neighborhood of Geneva and to pay them less than 8 dollars a day for long hours of work.
The authorities also accuse clan members to take away their employees’ passports to restrict their movements.
The lawyers of the Hindujaa family that owns a business conglomerate valued at $47 billion, offered controversial explanations, such as that low salaries were only part of the remuneration, to which accommodation and meals had to be added.
The Hinduja come from India and control a homonymous groupwhich is made up of a network of companies ranging from construction companies, merchandise distributors and vehicle manufacturers to lubricant producers and banksaccording to the conglomerate’s website (www.hindujaleylandfinance.com).
The empire was founded by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja in 1914 in part of what is today Pakistan and at first it focused on the sale of products, although it later ventured into banking. By 1919, the businessman had already managed to expand his business to Iranwhere it operated until the arrival of the Islamic Revolution in 1979date on which they moved their operations to the United Kingdom.
The founder’s children, Srichand, Gopichand and Prakash, shared the direction and continued with the expansion and internationalization of the group. With the death of Srichand in 2023, his younger brother, Gopichandmoved to the front of the group in Londonwhile Prakash, one of those identified by the Swiss justice system, kept the businesses they have in Monaco.
In United Kingdom, the family acquired valuable real estate properties. In Londonthey are owners of the Raffles hotelwhich opened in September 2023 and is located in the historic building Old War Office in Whitehallancient Ministry of Defensejust a few meters from 10 of Downing Streetthe magazine reported Forbes. In addition, they are owners of part of the exclusive Carlton House Terracea huge building that has offices, residences and event rooms, and is located very close to the Buckingham Palace.
Hinduja Group claims to have 200 thousand employees worldwide. Its global presence and diversified business portfolio were key to its financial success. Some of the conglomerate’s major companies include Ashok Leylandone of the largest commercial vehicle manufacturers in Indiaand IndusInd Bankone of the fastest growing banks in the country.
The family has been in the sights of the Swiss authorities for six years, when they began to investigate them for the treatment they gave to the employees they had in the exclusive district of Cologny in Geneva. The family got rid of one of the accusations against them (the one related to exploitation), after reaching a financial agreement with the alleged victims. However, they still have the human trafficking charge pending, for which The Swiss Prosecutor’s Office is asking for five and a half years in prison for Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, and four for Ajay and Namrata.
The trial, which began last Monday, caught the attention of the press both in United Kingdom like in India, due to the revelations made by the researchers. “(The Hinduja) spent more on a dog than on one of their servants“, the prosecutor reported in court Yves Bertossaas reported Bloomberg. The official revealed that one of the nannies earned only $7.84 for an 18-hour workdaywhile documents obtained by his office titled “Pets” indicated that the family spent more than 9,000 Swiss francs (more than 10,000 dollars) annually on the food and care of one of their dogs.
The prosecutor also assured that the employees, several of whom had to work seven days a week, They received their salaries in Indian rupees and not in Swiss francs, the Alpine country’s currency.
The family lawyers Hinduja They did not deny the accusations of low salaries, but said that they were also talking about accommodation and food, according to reports. Imogen Foulkescorrespondent of the BBC in Geneva. “You cannot reduce it (the concept of salary) simply to what they were paid in cash,” stated lawyer Yael Hayat.
The charge of long, strenuous hours was also refuted, with a lawyer arguing that watching a movie with children could not be considered work. And as proof that their clients were not exploiters, the defenders pointed out that several of the alleged victims worked for the family on repeated occasions, 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 Hindujas, whom they described as a friendly family that treated their servants with dignity. Likewise, Hinduja representatives accused the prosecutor of cruelty and seeking notoriety with this case. “No other family has been treated this way,” declared one of the defense attorneys.
However, Reports that workers had their passports confiscated and could not even leave home without permission are the main concern for the accused. The reason? Under Swiss law, this could be human trafficking.. And for this reason, in addition to the prison sentences, the prosecutor Bertossa is claiming more than 1 million dollars as a penalty and another 4 million dollars as compensation to the staff.
The case Hinduja It is not the first of its kind to be recorded in Geneva, the center of international organizations and the world’s rich. In 2008, Hannibal Gaddafison of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafiwas arrested at his five-star hotel in the Alpine city by police after it was reported that he and his wife had beaten their servants.
Although the case was closed, it caused a huge diplomatic dispute between Swiss and Libyawith two Swiss citizens arrested in Tripoli as retaliation.
Just last year, four Filipino domestic workers reported one of the diplomatic missions to United Nations, claiming that they had not been paid for years. These allegations have led to closer scrutiny of working conditions in Geneva, where many wealthy families and diplomats hire foreign workers, often with little recognition of their rights.
In the heart of Geneva, a city renowned for its elegance and wealth, the accusations against the Hinduja family reveal a dark side that calls into question the practices of the most powerful in the world. While the family defends itself and presents its version of the events, the victims and society will hope that justice will act impartially, establishing an important precedent for future cases of exploitation and human trafficking.
