A Geneva court has sentenced four members of the ultra-wealthy Hinduja family to prison.
They were found guilty of exploiting their staff at their villa in Cologny by paying them only 10% of what is considered normal for the sector, not allowing them any time off and confiscating their passports.
The court also heard that staff were expected to work 7 days a week and were housed in appalling conditions.
But charges of human trafficking were dropped – as the court recognised, they did return to work in Switzerland voluntarily.
The father of the family, Prakash, and his wife Kamal – aged 79 and 75 – have each been given a 4-and-a-half-year sentence and their son and his wife were handed a 4-year term.
But no one is in jail yet. Kamal Hinduja is in hospital in Monaco and her family are there with her. The court has not yet demanded immediate detention.
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