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Four members of the United Kingdom’s billionaire family are on trial in Switzerland after being accused of spending more on their dog’s care than on their staff salary.
The Hinduja family, with an estimated net worth of £37bn ($47bn), face allegations of human trafficking and exploitation of staff. In the court, the Prosecutor Yves Bertossa said “They spent more for one dog than one of their servants.”
The family was also accused of confiscating the passports of their staff members and paying them as little as $8 for work that stretched from 15 to 18 hours, an allegation a lawyer for the family has denied.
The Hinduja family manage the multinational conglomerate, the Hinduja Group, which consists of diverse sectors from banking to real estate. The family owns a villa in the affluent Cologny neighborhood of Geneva.
The family is accused of seizing the passport of their staff from India, restricting their movement and freedom to leave the house. They were also accused of paying their staff in Indian currency, leaving them without money in Switzerland.
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, along with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata are now facing criminal charges of human trafficking.
Meanwhile, the Hinduja’s family lawyer, Romain Jordan did not outrightly deny the low wage allegations but argued that they must be viewed in context as the staff received food and accommodation from the Hindujas.
The lawyer also claimed that family was not directly involved in hiring or managing their staff. He said that claims of an 18-hour work day were an exaggeration. “When they sit down to watch a movie with the kids, can that be considered work? I think not”, argued the family lawyer.
Prosecutors are seeking jail term, along with millions of dollars in compensation and legal fees. They want the family to pay 1 million Swiss Francs for court costs and set up a 3.5 million francs compensation fund for the staff affected.
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