-1719225522128.jpg "Who Are Hindujas, UK’s Richest Family Convicted Of Exploiting Servants In Switzerland")
Hinduja Family News: A Swiss court on Friday handed jail sentences to four members of Britain’s richest family, the Hindujas, branding them “selfish” for exploiting Indian labour at their Geneva mission. In a stunning verdict for the family, the Hindujas were convicted on other charges of “illegally exploiting poorly paid servants.” However, they were acquitted of human trafficking charges. The elder Hindujas- Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal Hinduja, who did not attend the trial citing poor health, was reportedly sentenced to four years and six months in prison, while their son Ajay and his wife Namrata received four-year terms. While the fifth accused identified as Najib Ziazi, the Hinduja family’s business manager, received an 18-month suspended sentence.
However, the defence argued that the three employees received adequate benefits, were not kept in isolation, and were able to leave the luxurious Geneva villa in Switzerland. “We are not dealing with mistreated slaves,” Nicolas Jeandin, representing the Hindujas, told the court.
What Is The Case Against Hindujas?
The Hinduja family members were accused of confiscating workers’ passports, preventing them from leaving the villa without their permission, hiring the staff without paperwork, and forcing them to work extremely long hours for minimal pay in Switzerland.
According to Bloomberg, Ajay Hinduja, the scion of the family’s Swiss branch, denied forcing an Indian nanny to work 18-hour days without pay, calling the charge “idiotic” and praising her as “like a second mum” to his kids.
ALSO READ: CSIR UGC NET 2024 Postponed By NTA Due To ‘Unavoidable Circumstances, Logistic Issues’
The court has also dismissed the more serious charges of human trafficking against 79-year-old tycoon Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, son Ajay, and daughter-in-law Namrata, claiming that the workers were aware of their working conditions.
Who Are Hindujas?
The 110-year-old Hinduja group was founded by Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja. He began the family business by trading goods in Shikarpur town in the Sindh region of British India (now Pakistan). The British-Indian group leads a multinational conglomerate with large holdings in banking, oil and gas, automotive manufacturing, real estate and health care.
The Hinduja Group also has business interests in trucks and lubricants and banking and cable television. According to Forbes, the family has an estimated net worth of USD 20 billion as of October 2023 and was ranked seventh on Forbes’ list of India’s Richest last year. The family was also ranked among Asia’s top 20 wealthiest families.
Parmanand Hinduja’s four sons- Srichand P Hinduja, Gopichand, Ashok, and Prakash, quickly diversified his multibillion-dollar family business. After Srichand Hinduja died in May 2023, Gopichand became the empire’s new chairman. The Swiss case controversy involves Prakash Hinduja and his family.
When the Swiss court announced the stunning verdict, the Hinduja brothers were not present in the court and were represented by Najib Ziazi, the family’s business manager. Notably, the Sunday Times of London listed the Hindujas as Britain’s richest family and estimated the family’s net worth at 37 billion pounds.