Billionaire Hinduja family spent more on pet dog than on servants, Swiss court rules

Britain's richest family spent more money on their pet dog than on one of their servants, a Swiss court has heard.

Prosecutors have called for the billionaire Hinduja family to be sentenced to prison over allegations of trafficking and exploitation of staff at their Lake Geneva villa.

“They spent more on a dog than on one of their servants,” prosecutor Yves Bertossa said Monday during a hearing at the Geneva criminal court.

Mr Bertossa claimed a woman was paid just seven Swiss francs (£6.19) to work up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, Bloomberg reported.

He meanwhile cited a budget document titled “Pets”, which he said showed the family had spent 8,584 Swiss francs a year on their dog.

Staff contracts allegedly excluded any reference to specific working hours or days, with prosecutors suggesting employees had to be available at any time when requested.

Mr Bertossa said employees had little or no freedom while working for the family, citing how their passports were confiscated and they were not allowed to leave the house without permission from their employer.

Hindujas reject claims their servants were mistreated

Lawyers for the Hinduja family have rejected the allegations, citing testimony from servants who said they were treated with dignity and respect.

They also accused the prosecutor of creating a misleading picture of the amount of workers' salaries.

Yael Hayat, a lawyer for family scion Ajay Hinduja, said salaries alone did not accurately reflect staff compensation because they were also fed and housed.

She added that the notion of an 18-hour day was an exaggeration.

Ms Hayat said: “When they sit down to watch a movie with the children, can that be considered work? I do not think so.”

The lawyer argued that one of the staff members said her salary in Geneva was good compared to what she earned in India, adding that she regularly returned to work of her own free will.

Ms. Hayat said that while it may be tempting to “break the rich to make the poor less poor,” the Geneva prosecutor’s office confuses justice with social justice.

The Hinduja family is Britain's richest, with a net worth of more than £37 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Through their conglomerate Hinduja Group, they control companies in nearly a dozen sectors, ranging from finance and IT to infrastructure.

They also own prime real estate in London, including the Raffles Hotel at the Old War Office in Whitehall, where a high-end suite costs £25,000 a night.

Since the death of patriarch SP Hinduja last year, the empire has been ruled by his brother Gopi.