The Hindujas, Britain’s wealthiest family, said they were appalled by a Swiss court’s decision to sentence several members to jail and have filed an appeal in a higher court appealing the conviction finding them guilty of abusing vulnerable domestic workers from India at their Geneva house.
In a statement released on Friday on behalf of the family, Swiss lawyers emphasized that their clients, Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, both in their 70s, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, had been acquitted of all human trafficking allegations.
They also denied media allegations that any family members were detained, despite court reports from Geneva indicating that the four were sentenced to between four and four-and-a-half years in prison.
“Our clients have been acquitted of all human trafficking charges. We are appalled and disappointed by the rest of the decision made in this court of first instance, and we have, of course, filed an appeal to the higher court, thereby making this part of the judgment not effective”, the statement reads, signed by lawyers Yael Hayat, Robert Assael, and Roman Jordan.
“Under Swiss law, the presumption of innocence is paramount till a final judgment by the highest adjudicating authority is enforced. Contrary to some media reports, there is no effective detention for any members of the family”, the statement continued.
The lawyers additionally mentioned that “it should also be recalled that the plaintiffs in this case had withdrawn their respective complaints after declaring to the court that they had never intended to be involved in such proceedings”.
“The family has full faith in the judicial process and remains confident that the truth will prevail”, the statement concluded.
The declaration came following a hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, when prosecutors began an investigation for alleged criminal behavior such as exploitation, human trafficking, and violations of Swiss labor rules.
The family members were accused of stealing the workers’ passports, preventing them from leaving the property, and forcing them to work extremely long hours for pitiful wages in Switzerland, among other things.
Some staff apparently spoke only Hindi and received their wages in rupees from banks in India that they could not access.
During the trial, prosecutors said the family spent more on their dog than on their servants.
The family’s legal team refuted the allegations, telling the court that staff members were treated with dignity and provided with accommodations.
The UK-based family’s group of companies, led by chairman G.P. Hinduja, operates in 48 countries and across a variety of industries, including automotive, oil and specialty chemicals, banking and finance, IT, cyber security, healthcare, trading, infrastructure project development, media and entertainment, power, and real estate.
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