A Swiss court convicted four members of a billionaire family of Indian origin for exploiting three employees who worked on their property in Cologny, a commune that belongs to Geneva. Prakash Hinduja, 78, his wife Kamal, 75, were sentenced to four years and six months of prison; and his son Ajay, 56, and his wife, Namrata, 50, to four years, as specified by the president of the Geneva court, Sabina Mascotto.
The accusation. The trial detailed that the Hinduja family brought domestic staff from India and, according to the lawsuit, confiscated their passports upon arrival in Switzerland, prohibited them from leaving the property, and paid them a salary “80 to 90 percent lower” to what would correspond to them in Switzerland. That is, nine dollars for between fifteen and eighteen hours of daily work, which results in a monthly salary of 247 to 443 dollars. This represents less than ten percent of what Swiss law stipulates for this type of employment.
The Indian millionaire who spent US$117 million on his youngest son’s pre-wedding.
Authoritarians don’t like this
The practice of professional and critical journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy. That is why it bothers those who believe they are the owners of the truth.
According to the defense of the Hinduja family, the three complainant employees did not live in isolation and none of them “were deceived as to the salary” they would earn. And they added that the three employees, according to the defense lawyers, “were grateful to the Hindujas for offering them a better life.” The lawyer for Ajay Hinduja – the son of the convicted couple – criticized the “excessive” nature of the accusation against his client and also that the court should apply “justice, not social justice.” And together, the family’s lawyers agreed to appeal the sentence because the prosecutors’ accusations had the sole objective of “killing the Hindujas.” Of the charges against the Hindujas, the president of the court ruled out the charge of human trafficking. because one of the three employees had returned to Geneva after a trip to India. The two older Hinduja were not at the trial.
The Hinduja Group has a presence in 38 countries and 200 thousand employees.
According to Forbesthe convicted Hinduja have Swiss nationality, a fortune of 47 billion dollars, and although the base of their operations is in the United Kingdom, they are ranked as one of the twenty richest dynasties in Asia. The Hinduja Group has commercial interests in the energy industry – oil and gas –, in the financial world, and in health. And with a presence in thirty-eight countries, they have some two hundred thousand employees.
This business conglomerate was founded by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja in 1914 in part of what is now Pakistan. In the beginning it focused on the sale of products, then it ventured into banking. By 1919 the businessman had managed to expand his business to Iran, where he operated until the arrival of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Given that, the Hinduja They moved their operations to the United Kingdom. The founder’s sons – Srichand, Gopichard and Prakash – shared the management of the holding company and continued its expansion and internationalization. Upon Srichand’s death in 2023, his younger brother Gopichard succeeded him at the head of the group in London, while Prakash – one of the judges in Switzerland – was left with the businesses they have in Monaco. And in that city he stayed with his wife during the trial, due to a health issue.
