Britain’s richest household ripped aside as 4 members handed jail sentences

Britain’s wealthiest family has been torn apart after four members were handed prison sentences for exploiting workers.

Indian-born tycoon Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay and his wife Namrata have been convicted of exploiting their vulnerable domestic staff and providing unauthorised employment. However, a Swiss court acquitted them of more severe charges of human trafficking related to their servants.

The court decided that the servants, who were employed at their lakeside villa in Geneva, were fully aware of their situation. All the family members received jail terms which ranged from four to four-and-a-half years, and their lawyers have announced plans to appeal the conviction.

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The defendants were absent from court during the sentencing, but the family’s business manager Najib Ziazi was present and received an 18-month suspended sentence.

Last week, it was revealed that the family had reached an undisclosed settlement with the plaintiffs. They faced accusations of illegal activities, including exploitation, human trafficking and violation of Swiss labour laws.

Prosecutors claimed the workers were sometimes made to work up to 18 hours a day with minimal or no holiday time off, and were allegedly paid less than one-tenth of the equivalent amount required under Swiss law, reports the Express.

The Crown Prosecution Service alleged the staff members lived under a “climate of fear” and, disturbingly, said some reportedly received payment in Indian rupees lodged into home country banks, which they couldn’t access.

The family presides over multinational giant the Hinduja group, with business ventures spanning from machinery and engine oil to banking and cable telly.

After older brother Srichand passed away in May 2023, Prakash Hinduja’s sibling Gopichand assumed the chairman position.

With an incredible fortune of £37.2bn, the family – headed up by Gopi – secured the top spot in the Sunday Times Rich List 2024.

A classic rags to riches story, they started the empire from a small business in Mumbai.

To put their vast fortune into perspective, if they were feeling a little spurious they could take more than 100,000 trips to space with Virgin Galactic.

Or, if they fancied a new pad in London, they could purchase Buckingham Palace (valued at £1.3billion) 28 times over.

As it is they own an incredible home on Carlton House Terrace in London near Buckingham Palace – which was priced at £66.5m in 2006 – and have spent another £40m restoring it.

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