UK's richest family found guilty of exploitation but acquitted of trafficking

In an emailed statement from Romain Jordan, a lawyer representing the Hindujas, the family members said they were “disappointed” by the decision and appealed to a higher court. “The family has full confidence in the legal process and remains determined to defend itself,” the statement added.

The Hinduja family runs a multinational conglomerate with significant stakes in automobile manufacturing, banking, oil and gas, real estate and healthcare. London's Sunday Times recently estimated the family's net worth at 37 billion pounds ($47 billion) and listed the Hindujas as Britain's richest family.

Proceedings in the closely watched trial began on June 10, with lead prosecutor Yves Bertossa saying the family had set aside more money for a pet than for a domestic worker's salary, according to reports. in the Swiss media.

Some domestic workers, who looked after children or did household chores, were paid as little as 10,000 rupees a month (around $120 currently), according to the indictment. Many workers came from poor backgrounds in India, he said, and had worked “from dawn until late in the evening” without paying overtime. Their wages – well below the Geneva minimum wage for domestic workers – were paid into Indian bank accounts that they could not easily access, the indictment says.

Prosecutors said the Hinduja family confiscated the domestic workers' passports and told them not to leave the villa, where they slept in bunk beds in a windowless basement room. The workers had to be available at all times, the indictment states, including during trips to France and Monaco, where they worked under the same conditions.

Jordan had rejected what he called “exaggerated and biased allegations.”

“Members of the Hinduja family vigorously deny these allegations,” he said in a statement before the verdict.

A civil case involving the main accusers, who worked for the family, was settled last week, according to Swiss reports. Jordan declined to discuss the terms, but said the agreement was “confidential” and that the plaintiffs had withdrawn their complaints.

In the criminal case, prosecutors had sought prison sentences of up to 5 1/2 as well as millions of francs in fines and compensation, according to Swiss media.

Three Hinduja brothers run the family conglomerate, two of whom are based in Britain and Europe. The family owns extensive real estate in London, including a 25-room residence and a five-star Raffles hotel in a historic former government building, the Old War Office.

The eldest of the brothers, Srihand Hinduja, who was also co-chairman of the Hinduja Group, died in May last year at 87. Before his death, factions of the family had been involved in a long battle for control of the family assets.