Hinduja brothers sentenced to prison: Breakdown of charges against India-born Britain's richest family

Four members of the prominent Hinduja family were convicted on Friday of exploiting underpaid servants at their luxury villa in Geneva, Switzerland. The eldest members of the family, Prakash Hinduja (78) and Kamal Hinduja (75), who were absent from the trial due to health problems, were sentenced to 4.5 years each. According to Bloomberg, Ajay Hinduja and his wife Namrata, who were also not present in the courtroom, were sentenced to 4 years in prison.

Ajay Hinduja, his wife Namrata and her parents were found guilty of illegally underpaying staff hired from India, offering salaries well below the Swiss standard rate.

The family's business manager, Najib Ziazi, was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

The Hindujas expressed dismay at the court's decision and announced that an appeal had been filed with a higher court. They hope to overturn the verdict, which found them guilty of exploiting vulnerable domestic workers, as reported by PTI.

Hinduja Family Background

The Hinduja family heritage dates back to 1914, when Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja founded a commodities trading business in the Sindh region of British India. The company quickly diversified under the leadership of his four sons, initially finding success distributing Bollywood films internationally. Srihand, the eldest son, died in 2023, leaving behind his brothers Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok, who continue to manage the family's vast business empire.

With interests in finance, media and energy, the Hinduja family owns stakes in six publicly traded Indian companies and has collective wealth estimated at $20 billion by Forbes. This places them among the 20 richest families in Asia.

Accusations and court findings

Members of the Hinduja family were accused of seizing workers' passports, preventing them from leaving the villa and forcing them to work long hours for minimal pay. Many workers, speaking only Hindi, were paid in rupees into bank accounts in India, which they could not access while in Switzerland.

The family's legal team denied the allegations, arguing that staff had been treated with respect and provided suitable accommodation. However, the Swiss court dismissed more serious human trafficking charges but upheld convictions for exploiting workers' lack of skills and knowledge of local languages. Workers reported a “climate of fear” and were forced to work up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, without legal leave or benefits, for wages well below the Swiss standard.

Case details

The conviction follows a case that began in 2018 when Swiss prosecutors, acting on a tip-off, raided the Hinduja Villa, Hinduja Bank offices and other local businesses owned by the Hinduja Group. Documents and hard drives were seized as evidence. The court found the four family members guilty of providing unauthorized employment, offering minimal health benefits and paying a salary less than one-tenth of the standard rate for such jobs in Switzerland.

Prosecutors pointed out that workers were subjected to harsh conditions, working with little or no vacation, extended reception hours and often sleeping in the basement on mattresses. Swiss authorities confiscated valuable assets, including diamonds, rubies, a platinum necklace and other jewelry, to cover possible legal costs and penalties.

(With contributions from agencies)