Britain's richest family spent more on their dog than on paying their staff, court hears

Britain's richest family is facing charges in a Swiss court over allegations they subjected their servants to deplorable conditions and engaged in human trafficking.

Earlier this week, Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa accused four members of the Hinduja family of spending more each year on their dog than on the salaries of their staff members.

In the most egregious case, prosecutors say, a staffer was paid less than $8 “for working up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.” The telegraph reported.

Members of the Hinduja family are also accused of denying their employees' freedom of mobility by taking their passports and preventing them from leaving “the house without their employer's permission.”

The Hinduja clan is worth $20 billion, according to Forbes. Their flagship company, Hinduja Group, has assets in many industries, including telecommunications and trucking. They also manage a portfolio of luxury real estate in the UK.

Lawyers for the Hinduja family say they have been subjected to unfair scrutiny. “No other family would have been treated this way. Our clients remain determined to defend themselves and have confidence in the justice system,” said lawyer Romain Jordan.

Representatives of the billionaires also claim that employment conditions have been distorted.

According to The telegraph, defendant's lawyer Ajay Hinduja argued that parts of the allegedly ultra-long shifts were actually recreational. “When they sit down to watch a movie with the kids, can that be considered work? I don’t think so,” the lawyer said.

Some staff members also felt that their remuneration was better than what they could have earned in India, the defense argued, adding that one employee in particular had returned to Switzerland several times.

The prosecution is simply trying to “break the rich to make the poor less poor,” said Ajay Hinduja's lawyer.

The defense further argued that the staff's salaries “cannot be simply reduced to what they were paid in cash”, since they were not asked to pay for their food or accommodation.

Nonetheless, the Hindujas changed their approach to hiring and ended “informal payment practices.” They blamed some of these allegations on initial hiring decisions in India.