Hinduja family members cleared of human trafficking charges by Swiss court

Following legal proceedings in Switzerland, Indian-origin tycoon Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal and his son and daughter-in-law Ajay and Namrata Hinduja, all Swiss nationals, were acquitted of all related charges to human trafficking, according to a spokesperson for the Hinduja family.

The court's decision, issued yesterday, dismissed the most serious allegations of human trafficking made against them.

Under Swiss law, the presumption of innocence endures until a final judgment from the highest authority is rendered, thereby rendering the lower court's judgment ineffective. Members of the Hinduja family have not faced any jail time, conviction or detention in connection with this case, the spokesperson said.

It should be noted that the plaintiffs in this case withdrew their allegations, stating in court that they were misled into signing statements they did not fully understand. They clarified that they had neither the intention nor the initiation of legal proceedings against the family members. Additionally, they testified that the Hinduja family treated them with “respect, dignity and like family.”

Responding to the verdict, the spokesperson said the Hinduja family had expressed their confidence in the Swiss legal process and their belief that the truth had prevailed.

A statement from lawyers Yael Hayat, Robert Assael and Romain Jordan, representing the Hinduja family, said: “Our clients have been acquitted of all charges of human trafficking. »

The statement further said: “We are dismayed and disappointed by the remainder of the decision rendered by this trial court, and we have of course appealed to the higher court, thereby rendering this portion of the judgment ineffective.”