Hinduja trial: confidential agreement reached

An agreement was reached this Thursday between the parties on the sidelines of the Hinduja family trial which is being held before the Geneva Criminal Court. This confidential arrangement resulted in the withdrawal of the three complainants from the proceedings, both criminal and civil.

There are therefore no more complainants, but the trial continues because human trafficking by trade is automatically prosecuted. “It doesn’t change anything,” said the first prosecutor Yves Bertossa, who will make his indictment on Monday. Defense pleadings will follow. Bound by a confidentiality clause, the parties made no comment on this arrangement.

Four members of this wealthy family of Indian origin have been on trial since Monday before the Geneva Criminal Court. They are accused of having exploited domestic staff for years in their property in Cologny (GE). The father, Prakash Hinduja (78 years old), and his wife Kamal (75 years old) did not appear at the hearing, unlike their son Ajay (56 years old) and their daughter-in-law Namrata (50 years old).

Shortly before the announcement of this financial agreement, which had been in the air since the opening of the trial, three witnesses called by the defense said all the good things they thought of the family. Two very long-time friends spoke of the “generosity” and “kindness” of a “always welcoming” family.

Few exits authorized

The fourth day of this highly anticipated trial began with the long hearing of one of the ex-domestic employees. Asked about her expectations in relation to this trial, this 51-year-old Indian woman explained that she wanted to be paid for her work and was demanding justice. She has probably already been heard on the first point.

This ex-employee was paid, in cash, 10,000 Indian rupees per month (around 100 francs) when she worked at the Cologny (GE) property between 2009 and 2016. Her salary was then increased at her request, but she could not say how much, because the sum was paid directly to her family in India.

She explained that she returned to the country in 2012 for the wedding and the birth of her daughter. Otherwise, she returned to India for about three weeks a year. She clarified that she could not choose the period and duration of her vacation. She never went to school and was married at 15 to a man who beat her.

Always questioned by the President of the Court, she indicated that she left the villa once or twice a year to walk towards the lake. Daughter-in-law Hinduja would allow her to go out, but not the mother who hired her, she said. In 2016, she left the Hinduja family to work in another house in Geneva.

Numerous appeals from the defense

According to the Public Prosecutor’s indictment, the employees had to work every day, without days off, without compensation for overtime, with compulsory and unpaid vacations. These people received a pitiful salary. The defendants dispute these accusations.

The trial was adjourned at the beginning of the year. Opened in 2018, the procedure was the subject of numerous appeals by the defense. The Hinduja are a powerful family of Indian origin, which is at the head of a conglomerate with activities in industry as well as finance, IT services, health and real estate.

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