UK's richest family convicted for staff exploitation at Swiss villa

The Hinduja family is often referred to by the media as the "richest in the UK," and their fortune is indeed impressive. The British billionaires invest in sectors such as oil and banking, and their wealth is estimated at up to £35 billion. With such wealth, one might think that they would pay their staff well to care for their home. But exactly—one might think.

The billionaire family boasts impressive properties, one of which is a residence on Lake Geneva. However, what has come to light indicates that not everyone lived the dream there. According to global media reports, the Hinduja family was brought before a court in Geneva because their employed staff was reportedly being cruelly exploited. The details were reported by the daily "Blick."

The mentioned medium reported that one of the individuals helping the four-member wealthy family maintain their villa received only £6 for 18 hours of work. The most shocking part, however, is that the family spent more on their dog than on the wages of their staff. The document "Pets" disclosed that they spent £7000 on their pet's upkeep.

Prosecutor Yves Bertossa mentioned that the billionaires exploited their staff and restricted their freedom. They brought workers from India, often those without education, and upon their arrival at the villa, reportedly took their passports and forbade them from leaving the home without explicit permission. The earned money was transferred to their accounts in India, so in theory, they had no money of their own locally. They were made to sleep in the basement, without windows, and on mattresses.

Last Friday, a verdict was rendered against four family members. Prakash and Kamal Hinduja were sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata received 4 years. They were acquitted of human trafficking charges. None of these individuals, however, appeared in court for the sentencing. Investigators believe that the exploitation of workers might have lasted for years and saved the billionaires up to £2 million.

The BBC reports that the billionaires' lawyers are defending their clients, pointing to the workers' statements, which maintained that they were "grateful to the Hindujas for offering them a better life." Some of them decided to withdraw their civil suits. The family’s defenders also claimed that the prosecution had been dishonest about the wages and long working hours. The staff received numerous benefits and were never kept in isolation.

Due to their advanced age, 78-year-old Prakash and 75-year-old Kamal did not participate in the proceedings due to poor health. After the verdict, the prosecutor requested detention for the younger couple, but the court did not grant this. The lawyers have said that an appeal will be filed soon, and in a statement, they requested that "the presumption of innocence for the family continues to be upheld."