‘Stunned’ Hindujas to file appeal against jail sentence

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, June 22

Stunned family members of Europe’s wealthiest Indian-origin family clan will file an appeal after a Swiss court convicted and sentenced them to lengthy jail terms for exploiting their domestic staff.

“They spent more on (their) dog than one of their servants,” said public prosecutor Yves Bertossa, according to local media reports. To the partial relief of the Hindujas, the court, however, absolved the four family members — Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay and his wife Namrata — of the more serious charge of human trafficking that could have led to longer jail sentences.

Prakash and Kamal were sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison, and Ajay and Namrata to four years of jail.

A Hinduja family lawyer was quoted as stating that his clients were “appalled and disappointed” by the court order. An appeal has already been filed and “under Swiss law, the presumption of innocence is paramount until an adverse final judgment by the highest adjudicating authority is enforced,” he added.

Another Hinduja lawyer said complaints of overwork were exaggerated. “When they sit down to watch a movie with the kids, can that be considered work?” she asked the court.

A bench of three judges found that the Hindujas would fly in largely-illiterate Indians for performing domestic duties at their opulent and well-appointed home in Switzerland but circumscribed their movements and paid a pittance as wages.

“(The workers) were exploited given their situation in India was so precarious and they were exploited as they didn’t know the language, had their passports confiscated and were only ever paid every three to six months,” said presiding judge Sabina Mascotto, adding that the Hindujas had no excuses for their behaviour.

“The four knew the vulnerabilities of the staff and knew what the rules were as they all were Swiss citizens,” she added, but ruled that the staffers were aware of their contract terms and, therefore, could not have been said to be trafficked.