Wealthy Britons have been accused in Switzerland of confiscating the maid's passports, paying her just £18 for XNUMX-hour days and only allowing her to leave the house occasionally
Four members of Britain's richest family have gone on trial in Switzerland over allegations that they spent more money on the care of their dog than on servants, writes the BBC.
The Hinduja family, whose wealth is estimated at 37 billion pounds, or 47 billion dollars, has been accused of exploitation and human trafficking.
They own a mansion in an affluent neighborhood in Geneva, and the charges against them relate to their practice of bringing in servants from India to look after their children and household.
Hinduja_Prakas_pexels-olly-3769710Eight dollars a day to work in a billionaire's family / Photo: Olly3769710/Pexels
Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, along with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, allegedly confiscated the staff's passports, paid them just eight dollars, or seven pounds for 18-hour workdays and only allowed them to leave the house occasionally.
Although a monetary settlement was reached last week over the exploitation, the Hindujas are still on trial for human trafficking, a serious crime in Switzerland.
The prosecutor is seeking prison terms and millions in damages
They deny the charges, and this week in court one of Geneva's most prominent prosecutors, Yves Bertosa, compared the nearly $10.000 a year he claimed the Hinduja family spent on their dog to the daily amount they allegedly paid their servants.
Lawyers for the Hinduja family did not specifically deny the allegations of low wages, but said they had to be seen in context and noted that staff had accommodation and food.
The charge of long working hours was also contested, with one defense lawyer arguing that watching a movie with the Hinduja children could not be considered work.
Some former service members testified in favor of the Hindujas, describing them as a friendly family who treated their service with dignity.
Allegations that the servants' passports were confiscated and that they were not allowed to leave the house without permission are serious, as they could be classified as human trafficking, so Bertosa's prosecutor asked for prison terms and millions of dollars in damages, as well as for the rich to pay court costs.
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