Ajay Hinduja, with wife and parents. (Bloomberg Photo)
The four Swiss-national members of the Hinduja Family, Prakash Hinduja, his wife Kamal, their son Ajay, and daughter-in-law Namrata have been acquitted of all human trafficking charges, after legal proceedings in Switzerland, according to a statement from the spokesperson for the Hinduja family.
The court’s decision dismissing the serious allegations against them came yesterday. The spokesperson confirmed that the Hinduja family members have not faced any imprisonment, conviction, sentence, or detention in connection with the case.
According to Swiss law, the presumption of innocence remains until a final judgment is rendered by the highest authority. As a result, the lower court’s judgment is not considered effective.
The spokesperson said complainants in the case withdrew their allegations, stating in court that they had been misled into signing statements they did not even understand. “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,” said spokesperson.
The spokesperson further said that the four family members have full faith in the Swiss judicial process and remain confident that the truth will prevail.
The prosecutors in Geneva had opened a case against the above-mentioned members of Hinduja family involving allegations of illegal activities, including exploitation, human trafficking, and violations of Switzerland’s labour laws. The family members were accused of confiscating workers’ passports, preventing them from leaving the villa, and forcing them to work excessively long hours for minimal pay, among other charges.
First Published: Jun 22 2024 | 7:40 PM IST