In a latest development to the alleged human trafficking charges row against Britain’s wealthiest family, the Hindujas, four of the family members on Sunday claimed that they had never been imprisoned, found guilty, sentenced, or even detained.
The members of the Hinduja family, Prakash Hinduja, 78, and his spouse Kamal Hinduja, 75 along with their son Ajay, 56, and his spouse Namrata, 50, were charged with “usury” for allegedly exploiting their immigrant employees by paying them a meagre salary
According to claims made by a representative of the Hindujas, the family members have not been put in jail and that the accusations of human trafficking against them have been removed.
In the statement, the spokesperson said, “The four Swiss-national members of the Hinduja Family, Kamal and Prakash Hinduja, Namrata and Ajay Hinduja, have not been subjected to any imprisonment, conviction, sentence or detention.”
“Per Swiss law procedures, the lower court’s judgment is rendered ineffective and inoperative as the presumption of innocence is paramount until and unless a final judgment by the highest adjudicating authority is enforced. The most serious of the charges, human trafficking, against them were completely dismissed by the court yesterday,” the statement further read.
“It may be noted that the case has no complainants left anymore and they had declared in the court that they were led into signing statements that they didn’t even understand. They had neither intended to nor initiated such proceedings. All of them further testified that the four Hinduja family members treated them with ‘respect, dignity and like family’. The four family members have full faith in the Swiss judicial process and remain confident that the truth will prevail,” it added.
Earlier, the Britain’s wealthiest family, the Hindujas said they are “appalled” by a Swiss court’s ruling of jail terms for some members and have filed an appeal in a higher court challenging the verdict finding them guilty of exploiting vulnerable domestic workers from India employed at their villa in Geneva.
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