Billionaire Hinduja Family Sentenced to Jail for Exploiting Domestic Staff
Swiss court sentences Hinduja family members for exploiting domestic workers.
The prominent Hinduja family, known for their diverse businesses and significant influence worldwide, has recently been in the spotlight for negative reasons. On 21st June 2024, a Swiss court found Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay, and Ajay’s wife Namrata guilty of exploiting their domestic workers at their Geneva Lake villa.
The Hinduja Group, founded by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja, is a well-known global business empire. It started as a merchant banking and trade business in 1914 and later expanded into many sectors, including trucks, digital technology, lubricants, banking, cable television, energy, real estate, and healthcare. The family’s wealth and influence are significant, with an estimated net worth of £37 billion ($47 billion), making them one of the richest families globally.
However, their reputation has taken a hit after domestic staff, including housekeepers, cooks, and nannies, collectively filed a case against Prakash Hinduja and his family. They accused the family of worker exploitation, human trafficking, and unauthorized employment.
The workers complained that the family confiscated their passports, restricted their movements, forced them to work excessively long hours, and paid them low wages in Indian Rupees instead of Swiss Francs directly into their Indian bank accounts. Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa, representing the complainants, argued that the family made the workers work up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, and paid them only 7 Swiss Francs for an 8-hour job, well below the Swiss minimum wage of 70 Swiss Francs. He also highlighted the harsh conditions, including some staff members sleeping on mattresses on the floor in the villa’s basement.
The court found Prakash Hinduja and his family guilty of exploiting workers, providing unauthorized employment, offering minimal health benefits, paying lower than the minimum wage, and violating Swiss labor laws. However, the court dismissed the human trafficking charges, stating that the staff understood the conditions they agreed to.
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja were sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in jail, while Ajay and Namrata Hinduja received 4-year sentences. None of the family members were present in court for the verdict. Additionally, the Swiss authorities will use the seized assets, including precious stones and jewelry, to cover the prosecutor's fees and legal penalties.
Hindujas’ lawyers have filed an appeal in a higher court, making the judgment ineffective and inoperative for now. The higher Swiss court will review the case and make a final ruling.
The Hinduja family, once celebrated for their business achievements, now faces serious legal consequences for their treatment of domestic workers. The world awaits the higher court's decision on this matter.
