Billionaire Hinduja family faces trial, accused of ‘exploitation of staff, confiscating passports’

According to the trial documents, the details of the settlement were not disclosed but the parties reached an agreement on Friday, six years after the civil suit was filed, over allegations they paid their staff, including childcare workers, a fraction of local wages and forced them to work illegally long hours.

What are the allegations against the Hindujas?

According to Bloomberg, which quoted Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa, the Hindujas confiscated the passports of the staff and had also restricted their movement. Citing evidence and testimonies, the prosecutor alleged that one of the staffers was paid as little as 7 Swiss francs ($7.84) for extensive workdays, much lower than what the family would spend on their pets. Their dog’s annual care cost was 8,584 Swiss francs.

Besides jail term, the prosecutors have also sought 1 million Swiss francs in court costs and 3.5 million francs for a compensation fund.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Ajay, while testifying during the trial, had stated that he lacked a detailed knowledge of the staff’s working conditions as their recruitment was handled by the Hinduja Group in India.

The Hindujas’ lawyer did not specifically deny the family’s involvement in staff management and accused prosecutors of bias, emphasizing that other families would not face similar treatment. The lawyer further argued that the staff’s compensation included room and board, and dismissed claims of 18-hour workdays as exaggerated.

Romain Jordan, the family’s attorney, told Forbes that the criminal indictment is “excessive”. “No other family would have been treated this way. Our clients are resolute in defending themselves and have faith in the judicial system,” he stated.

The Hinduja family, according to the Forbes valuation, is the seventh richest in India with an estimated net worth of around $20 billion.