Hindujas move higher court after Swiss court gives jail term for exploiting staff

In response to the verdict related to the exploitation of their domestic workers at their luxurious Geneva villa, Hindujas have moved a higher court and released a media statement breaking the silence on the matter.

A spokesperson for Kamal, Prakash, Namrata and Ajay Hinduja while refuting the court sentencing said that there has been no "imprisonment, conviction, sentence, or detention" of the Hinduja family members and that the human trafficking charges have been dismissed, according to reports.

This comes after four members of the prominent Hinduja family were sentenced to up to four and a half years in prison by a Swiss court for the exploitation of Indian domestic workers. While the criminal court acquitted the billionaire family members of the more severe charge of human trafficking.

The statement by Hindujas maintained the innocence of the four while pointing out the lack of complainants in the case. It revealed that thecomplainants earlier "were led into signing statements that they didn't even understand."

"It may be noted that the case has no complainants left anymore and they had declared in the court that they were led into signing statements that they didn't even understand. They had neither intended to nor initiated such proceedings. All of them further testified that the four Hinduja Family Members treated them with “respect, dignity and like family”," the statement read.

Notably, the family has appealed against the lower court conviction and said in a statement, "Per Swiss law procedures, the lower court's judgment is rendered ineffective and inoperative as the presumption of innocence is paramount until and unless a final judgment by the highest adjudicating authority is enforced."

The Hinduja family faced accusations of smuggling Indian labourers into Switzerland, confiscating their passports and subjecting them to grueling 16-hour workdays without overtime pay, as per reports.

According to the prosecution, the domestic workers were forced to sleep in windowless basement quarters on bunk beds and were forbidden from leaving the property.

Spent more on dog

Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa highlighted the treatment of the family's pets and compared it with the treatment of family members of their servants.

"The Hindujas spent more for one dog than one of their servants," as per Bloomberg report.

Bertossa detailed the dire conditions and revealed that one female servant received as little as 7 Swiss francs (nearly Rs 660) for 18-hour workdays, seven days a week.

In stark contrast, the Hinduja family spent 8,584 Swiss francs (about Rs 8 lakh or $9573) annually on their pet dog.

(With inputs from agencies)