UK‘s richest family jailed for 'spending more on dogs' than paying servants

A Swiss court sentenced Britain's richest family of Indian origin for exploiting their domestic staff at their Lake Geneva villa. The Hinduja family underpaid the staff while spending lavishly on their pet dogs.

The court sentenced four members of the Hinduja family, Prakash, Kamal, their son Ajay, and his wife Namrata to prison terms between four and four-and-a-half years.

Prosecutor Yves Bertosa told a Swiss court that the billionaire family’s employees earned just £6.20 for working 18 hours seven days a week.

During the hearing, he highlighted a family budget for pets which showed that they allocated 8,584 Swiss francs (CFH) a year for their dog.

The lawyer argued that the workers had no fixed working hours, their freedom was restricted and the family confiscated their passports. 

Prosecutors requested jail sentences for Hinduja and his wife, Namrata. 

They sought a court order requiring the couple to pay CFH1 million in court costs and CFH3.5 million in compensation for the mistreated staff. 

The family's lawyer, Yael Hayat argued that some of the employees voluntarily returned to work in Geneva several times, which indicates that their conditions here were more satisfactory than in India.

He mentioned that the staff's salaries, though paid in cash, were not low because the compensation included the cost of food and accommodation. Hayat also disputed the claims of 18-hour workdays.

The defense lawyer, however, denied the allegations. He insisted that the family has improved its domestic staff practices in compliance with local regulations.

Prosecutors not only called for harsher punishments for the Hinduja family, but also criticised the absence of senior family members, Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, which amounted to contempt of court.

The Hinduja Group is a multinational conglomerate interested in oil, gas and banking.