UK's richest family 'spent more on dog than servant'

Hindujas paid servant £6.20 for 18-hour day, court hears

- MAROOSHA MUZAFFAR

Britain's richest family has been accused of egregious mistreatment of domestic staff at their Lake Geneva villa.

Prosecutor Yves Bertossa told a Swiss court the billionaire Hinduja family spent more on their pet dog than on one of their servants, who earned as little as £6.20 for gruelling 18-hour workdays, seven days a week.

He cited a budget document titled “pets” that showed the family allocated 8,584 Swiss francs (£7,641) annually for their pet dog. Mr Bertossa also noted the absence of specified working hours or days off in the staff contracts, arguing that the employees were essentially at the family’s beck and call, with confiscated passports limiting their freedom.