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Britain
UK's richest family on trial in Switzerland for human trafficking
2024-06-19
Live in the UK, but not British.
[FOX] Four members of the UK's richest family are on trial in Switzerland amid allegations they spent more money caring for their dog than their servants.

The Hinduja family, worth an estimated £37bn ($47bn), is accused of exploitation and human trafficking.

The family own a villa in Geneva’s wealthy neighbourhood of Cologny, and the charges against them all relate to their practice of importing servants from India to look after their children and household.

It’s alleged that Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, together with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, confiscated staff passports, paid them as little as $8 (£7) for 18-hour days, and allowed them little freedom to leave the house.
It sounds like they continued Indian pay and working conditions while abroad.
Although a financial settlement over exploitation was reached last week, the Hindujas remain on trial for trafficking, which is a serious criminal offence in Switzerland. They deny the charges.

This week in court, one of Geneva’s most famous prosecutors, Yves Bertossa, compared the almost $10,000 a year he claimed the family had spent on their dog, to the daily amount they were allegedly paying their servants.

The Hinduja family's lawyers did not specifically deny the allegations of low wages, but said they must be viewed in context - noting that the staff were also receiving accommodation and food.

The charge of long hours was also disputed, with one defence lawyer arguing that watching a film with the Hinduja children could not really be classed as work.
It is work if they’re minding the children while watching.
Some former servants testified for the Hindujas, describing them as a friendly family who treated their servants with dignity.

But the allegations that servants’ passports were confiscated, and that they could not even leave the house without permission, are serious, because they could be judged as human trafficking.

Mr Bertossa is calling for prison terms, and millions of dollars in compensation as well as legal fees.
Posted by:Skidmark

#2  Hmmm....As monarch, Charles also takes over institutions that Forbes estimated manage $42 billion worth of assets. These include a collection of real-estate holdings like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, as well as the Duchy of Lancaster, which in March 2022 was valued at £652.8 million and is owned in a trust by the monarch. - cite.

That's just Chuck. Now throw in the royal family in total.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2024-06-19 06:59  

#1  MINT - Hindujas: From India to Iran and the UK — A look at the billionaire family and their companies
Posted by: Besoeker   2024-06-19 03:40  

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