Indian-born tycoon Prakash Hinduja, along with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, abused domestic workers at their luxurious lakeside villa in Geneva. Their exploitation included seizing the workers' passports and paying them in inaccessible Indian rupees instead of Swiss francs. The workers, mostly illiterate Indians, were employed under harsh conditions and unable to access their wages.
Four members of an Indian-born billionaire family were sentenced to prison on Friday in Switzerland for exploiting domestic workers at their lakeside villa. The workers were subjected to harsh conditions, including having their passports seized, being prohibited from leaving the villa, and being forced to work up to 18 hours a day.
A Swiss court acquitted 79-year-old tycoon Prakash Hinduja; his wife, Kamal; their son Ajay; and daughter-in-law Namrata of more severe human trafficking charges. The court determined that the workers had some awareness of the conditions they would face. The sentences ranged from four to 4 1/2 years in prison.
The exploited workers, mostly illiterate Indians, were paid in Indian rupees deposited in banks back home, which they could not access.
The defendants' lawyers announced plans to appeal. Robert Assael, representing Kamal Hinduja, expressed relief over the dismissal of the trafficking charges but criticized the sentence as excessive.
