Indian-Born Billionaire and Family Sentenced for Exploiting Domestic Workers in Switzerland

GENEVA: Four of the family members, including an Indian-born billionaire, were on Friday put behind bars for cons and perpetual detention of the domestic worker employed in their villa situated in Switzerland; failure to grant them freedom to move around saw them confining themselves to the house, working for up to 18 hours within a day. 

 Swiss courts dropped more severe counts of human trafficking involving wealthy India-born business magnate Prakash Hinduja, 79, his wife Kamal, son Ajay, and daughter-in-law Namrata on the basis that the employees knew what they were agreeing to or at least the partial term of their contracts. This is why the four were sentenced to four to four and a half years behind bars. 

 Najib Ziazi, the family’s business manager, became the fifth defendant in the case and was awarded an 18-month suspended sentence. 

 Concerning the members of the Swiss-Indian family who were not physically in court, the lawyers stated that the ruling would be appealed. 

 The workers, who were mostly illiterate indents of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, were being paid wages in Indian rupees through Banks back in India and thus did not have any physical cash with them to spend. The four pleaded guilty to the offense of usury for exploiting their immigrant employees and paying them very little. 

 “The inexperience of the employees was taken advantage of,” said Judge Sabina Mascotto. ‘These women received their education in limited measure and, in many instances, none at all and knew of their rights. ’ ‘The defendants were self-serving; their actions stemmed from wanting to make a profit. ’ 

 Although the court dismissed human trafficking allegations, it did so based on the workers’ voluntary migration to Switzerland. 

 Thus, during the trial, the family was accused of bringing servants from India and taking away their passports once they arrived in Switzerland. Yves Bertossa, the prosecutor, alleged that the Hindujas spent ‘more on their dog than on domestic employees,’ the code ICTY quoted the family as having paid the household staff 325 francs ($363) a month, and this was up to 90 percent less than the average wage for maids and other cleaners. 

 “The four Hinduja defendants knew that their employees were in a rather vulnerable position, and they knew the law in Switzerland,” Mascott said. 

The family dismissed the accusations, saying the prosecutors wanted to “do in the Hindujas. ” The three employees vowed to contest the accusations against them. They employed three workers who accused them of fraud, and after the family had paid them handsome sums of money through confidential undertakings out of court, they withdrew the case, said the defense. 

 However, the prosecution continued with the case because the charges Preferable and Miller faced were very severe. After the verdict, Bertossa asked for the immediate arrest of Ajay and Namrata Hinduja, stating that they would flee the country. The judge rejected it, adopting the defense’s claim that the family had connections to Switzerland. Some balance was made to the fact that Kamal Hinduja had been admitted to Monaco Hospital with the rest of the family members by her side. 

 The defense also pointed out that the employees were not mistreated or isolated and were lucky to get good benefits from their employer; they could have left the villa anytime they wished to. “The mistreated slaves are not the ones we are confronted with here,” the lawyer Nicolas Jeandin said. Employment lawyer Robert Assael insisted that the workers were thankful to have a shot at a better life through the Hindujas. 

 Namrata Hinduja’s attorney, Romain Jordan, said the case should not be about social justice as the prosecution pursues only vengeance against the family; Yael Hayat, the attorney for Ajay Hinduja, admitted that payments were made to the employees but claimed that the indictment was too leftist. 

 Robert Assael, attorney for Kamal Hinduja, was quoted as saying that the imprisonment was harsh, particularly considering the state of health of the two elderly men involved in the business. I also learned that Kamal Hinduja had to be taken to the hospital, which is why the family had not been coming to court thường. 

 This diversified business group, valued at $20 billion, has stakes in oil and gas, banking, and healthcare, among other industries. The family lives in Switzerland and has other legal problems, including another pending tax case with Swiss authorities. 

 Here, the court pinned the four with labor malpractice, unlawful employment of workers, and substandard wages as dictated by Swiss laws. While the defense witnesses described all pleasant and satisfied with the conditions of working with Kamal Hinduja, the prosecutor brought numerous shreds of evidence testifying to the climate of fear that was created around Kamal Hinduja: “long working days and short vacations, increased working hours for receptions and other unpredictable restrictions of living conditions.