Four members of the Hinduja family, worth an estimated combined total of $47bn and currently the U.K.’s richest family, are on trial in Switzerland for labor exploitation and human trafficking. The charges center around claims that they illegally brought staff in and out of Switzerland after confiscating their passports. They also imposed exploitative working terms — all hallmarks of modern slavery.

More money spent caring for the dog than workers

Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, together with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata stand accused of keeping the staff for their Switzerland home living in modern slavery. According to the prosecution, the employers confiscated the staff’s passports upon arrival and did not allow them to leave the house without permission. In addition, the employers paid them for their work in India, not in Switzerland where they were living. This meant they had no Swiss money they could use for themselves while in Switzerland, severely limiting their freedom and mobility.

According to the BBC,

“…allegations that servants’ passports were confiscated, and that they could not even leave the house without permission, are serious, because they could be judged as human trafficking.”

Some staff were allegedly paid as little as $8 for 18-hour days. A lawyer for the prosecution pointed to a document titled ‘Pets’ which appears to show the family spent almost $10,000 a year on their dog — an amount far larger than the annual salary of the working staff.

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