Four members of the UK’s richest family are on trial in Switzerland amid allegations they spent more money caring for their dog than their servants.
It’s alleged that Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, together with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, confiscated staff passports, paid them as little as $8 (£7) for 18-hour days, and allowed them little freedom to leave the house.
Although a financial settlement over exploitation was reached last week, the Hindujas remain on trial for trafficking, which is a serious criminal offence in Switzerland.
They deny the charges.This week in court, one of Geneva’s most famous prosecutors, Yves Bertossa, compared the almost $10,000 a year he claimed the family had spent on their dog, to the daily amount they were allegedly paying their servants.The Hinduja family’s lawyers did not specifically deny the allegations of low wages, but said they must be viewed in context - noting that the staff were also receiving accommodation and food.
Mr Bertossa is calling for prison terms, and millions of dollars in compensation as well as legal fees.
It is not the first time that Geneva, a hub for international organisations as well as the world’s wealthy, has been in the spotlight over the alleged mistreatment of servants.
The original article contains 449 words, the summary contains 207 words. Saved 54%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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Four members of the UK’s richest family are on trial in Switzerland amid allegations they spent more money caring for their dog than their servants.
It’s alleged that Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, together with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, confiscated staff passports, paid them as little as $8 (£7) for 18-hour days, and allowed them little freedom to leave the house.
Although a financial settlement over exploitation was reached last week, the Hindujas remain on trial for trafficking, which is a serious criminal offence in Switzerland.
They deny the charges.This week in court, one of Geneva’s most famous prosecutors, Yves Bertossa, compared the almost $10,000 a year he claimed the family had spent on their dog, to the daily amount they were allegedly paying their servants.The Hinduja family’s lawyers did not specifically deny the allegations of low wages, but said they must be viewed in context - noting that the staff were also receiving accommodation and food.
Mr Bertossa is calling for prison terms, and millions of dollars in compensation as well as legal fees.
It is not the first time that Geneva, a hub for international organisations as well as the world’s wealthy, has been in the spotlight over the alleged mistreatment of servants.
The original article contains 449 words, the summary contains 207 words. Saved 54%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!