The Raffles London was sold by the government in 2016 for more than £350 million, on a 250-year lease, to the Hinduja Group. Photo / Getty images
The Raffles London was sold by the government in 2016 for more than £350 million, on a 250-year lease, to the Hinduja Group. Photo / Getty images
Britain’s richest family spent more money on their pet dog than they did on one of their servants, a Swiss court has heard.
Prosecutors have called for the billionaire Hinduja family to face jail time over allegations of trafficking and exploitation of staff at their Lake Geneva villa.
Speaking at a hearing at Geneva’s criminal court on Monday, prosecutor Yves Bertossa said: “They spent more for one dog than one of their servants.”
Bertossa claimed one woman was paid as little as 7 Swiss francs (NZ$12.80) to work for up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, he cited a budget document entitled Pets, which he said showed how the family spent 8584 Swiss francs in a year on their family dog.
Staff contracts are said to have excluded reference to specific working hours or days, with the prosecutors suggesting employees had to be available at any time on request.
Bertossa said the employees had little-to-no freedom while working for the family, citing how their passports had been confiscated and that they were not permitted to leave the house without their employer’s permission.
Hindujas reject claims servants were mistreated
Lawyers for the Hinduja family rejected the claims, citing testimony from servants who said they had been treated with dignity and respect.
They also accused the prosecutor of painting a misleading picture of how much the workers were paid.
Yael Hayat, a lawyer for family scion Ajay Hinduja, said salaries alone did not accurately reflect pay for staff because they were also provided with board and lodgings.
She said the notion of an 18-hour day was an exaggeration.
Gopi (left) and Prakash Hinduja pictured in 2017. Photo / Getty Images
Hayat said: “When they sit down to watch a movie with the kids, can that be considered work? I think not.”
The lawyer argued one of the staff members had said her pay in Geneva was good compared with what she earned in India, and that she kept returning to the job of her own free will.
Hayat said while it may be tempting to “break the rich to make the poor less poor”, the Geneva prosecutor’s office was conflating justice with social justice.
The Hinduja family are the richest in Britain, with a net worth of more than £37 billion ($76.6b), according to the Sunday Times rich list.
Through their conglomerate Hinduja Group, they control businesses across almost a dozen sectors, ranging from finance and IT to infrastructure.
They also own prime real estate in London, including the Raffles Hotel at the Old War Office in Whitehall, where a top suite goes for £25,000 a night.
Since the death of patriarch S.P. Hinduja last year, the empire has been led by his brother Gopi.
The Swiss lawsuit has been filed against four members of the family, including 78-year-old Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay and his wife Namrata.
During the trial, Ajay testified he did not have a detailed knowledge of employees’ working conditions because recruitment was handled by the Hinduja Group in India.
However, he said staff were now no longer paid informally and all hiring was done locally through a third party.
Prakash and Kamal did not attend the trial in Geneva, citing health reasons.
Bertossa accused the pair of showing contempt for the court because they had been travelling freely between Dubai and Cannes.
Prosecutors urge prison sentences
He called for a prison sentence of five and a half years for Prakash and Kamal, and four and a half years for Ajay and Namrata.
The prosecutor also demanded the family cover 1 million Swiss francs in court costs and pay 3.5 million Swiss francs into a compensation fund for staff.
The Hinduja family and their staff last week reached a settlement in a civil case over worker exploitation that was first filed six years ago.
However, the criminal case continues this week.
Romain Jordan, a lawyer for the Hinduja family, said: “This indictment is as excessive as it is detached from the legal and factual elements of the case. The prosecutor’s contempt shows an unacceptable bias, and no other family would have been treated in this way.
“Our clients remain determined to defend themselves and have confidence in the judicial system.”
