 "If found guilty in the trial that began on June 10, Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, could receive prison terms of 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 years Image Courtesy AFP")
A Swiss criminal court will make a decision on Friday about whether members of a billionaire family mistreated their primarily illiterate Indian servants who worked in their opulent Geneva lakeside villa and participated in unlawful human trafficking.
Among other things, four members of the Hinduja family are accused of taking workers’ passports, paying them in rupees instead of Swiss francs, preventing them from leaving the villa, and making them work unbearably long hours for meager remuneration in Switzerland.
If found guilty in the trial that began on June 10, Prakash Hinduja and his wife Kamal, as well as their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, could receive prison terms of 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 years. Najib Ziazi, their business advisor, is also on trial.
The family, which has Indian ancestry, was revealed to have struck an undisclosed deal with the plaintiffs last week in criminal court. Prosecutors in Geneva began the case on charges of human trafficking, exploitation, and breaking Swiss labor regulations.
The family moved to Switzerland many years ago, and Prakash was found guilty in 2007 of similar, albeit minor, offenses. However, according to the prosecution, he continued to hire people without the necessary documentation.