After it was determined that four members of the wealthiest family in Britain had engaged in unauthorized employment and had taken advantage of their vulnerable domestic workers, they were sentenced to prison.
However, a Swiss criminal court cleared Indian-born tycoon Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, of more serious allegations of human trafficking connected to their staff.
The court determined that the slaves, who worked at their Geneva lakeside property and were primarily uneducated Indians, were aware of what they were getting into.
The four family members received prison terms ranging from four to four and a half years.
The defendants’ attorneys declared that they will file an appeal.
The legal team representing the Hinduja family contended that the staff members received courteous treatment and accommodations.
The four were charged with, among other things, stealing the workers’ passports, paying them in rupees instead of Swiss francs, preventing them from leaving the villa, and making them work extremely long hours for meager pay in Switzerland.
