RB News World Latest News
Related Articles
The court of Geneva, Switzerland has convicted four members of the famous Hinduja family for exploiting servants in their luxurious villa. The Hinduja family living in Britain is shocked by the court’s decision. The Hinduja family has challenged the court’s decision in the higher court. Let us tell you that the people who have been convicted by the court include Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, his son Ajay and his wife Namrata. All of them are accused of treating their servants like slaves, all of whom have come from India and all this was happening for many years in their luxurious villa located in front of Lake Geneva.
With a net worth of more than 37 billion pounds, the Hinduja family is the richest family in England and does business in oil, gas and banking. The family also owns the famous Raffles Hotel in London.
In a statement to the media on Saturday, family advocates Yael Hayat, Robert Asael and Romain Jordan, representing Prakash, Kamal, Ajay and Namrata, said they have already filed an appeal in the High Court against the sentence.
Hinduja family files appeal in High Court
The statement quoted these lawyers as saying that while our clients have been acquitted of all charges of human trafficking. They also denied that their clients have already been taken into custody by the police.
They said that contrary to some media reports, there is no effective way to take any member of the family into custody. They also claimed that the plaintiffs have already withdrawn their respective complaints after declaring in court that they never intended to participate in such proceedings.
Hinduja family accused of exploiting workers
On Friday, a lower-tier (court of first instance) Swiss court found the four Hindujas guilty of exploitation and illegal employment and handed them sentences of four to four-and-a-half years, but acquitted them of the more serious charge of human trafficking.
According to the report, the three workers, who are the main complainants and were brought from India, alleged that the family paid them a mere 7 pounds ($8) for working 18 hours a day – not even a tenth of the amount required under Swiss law – and had their passports confiscated.
They also claimed that the family, whose wealth is estimated at around 37 billion pounds, rarely allowed them to leave the house, which is in the wealthy area of Cologny in Geneva.
Swiss court ruling on domestic workers
Asel argued that the workers were grateful to the Hinduja couple, who provided them with a better life. The elder Hinduja couple, aged over 70, did not attend the court proceedings citing ill health, while Ajay and Namrata were present in court but did not wait to hear the verdict.
After the verdict, the prosecution sought an immediate custody order for the younger Hinduja couple but the judge did not allow it. The defence said Kamal Hindula is currently in hospital in Monaco and the other three family members are by his bedside. This is not the first time that Geneva, a hub of international organisations and home to hundreds of the world’s wealthiest people, has been in the news over alleged mistreatment of servants.
Last year, four domestic workers from the Philippines filed a case with the UN against a diplomatic mission in Geneva, claiming they had not been paid salaries for years.
