A Swiss court condemns the richest family in the United Kingdom for exploiting domestic staff

Prosecutors had said the Hinduja family confiscated the domestic workers’ passports and told them not to leave the villa, where they slept in bunk beds in a windowless basement. The workers should have been available at all times, the indictment alleges, including during trips to France and Monaco, where they worked under the same conditions.

Mr Jordan, the Hinduja family’s lawyer, had rejected what he called “exaggerated and biased allegations”.

“Members of the Hinduja family vigorously deny these allegations,” he said in a statement before the verdict.

According to the Swiss press, a civil case involving the main accusers, who worked for the family, was settled last week. Mr. Jordan declined to discuss the terms, but said the settlement was “confidential” and that the plaintiffs had withdrawn their complaints.

According to Swiss media, in the criminal case the prosecutor’s office requested prison sentences of up to five and a half years as well as fines and compensation amounting to millions of francs.