Prakash Hinduja

Prakash Hinduja
Hinduja in 2019
BornJune 1945 (age 79)
NationalitySwiss
Occupation(s)Chairman, Hinduja Group in Europe
SpouseKamal Hinduja
Children3
Parent(s)Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja
Jamuna Parmanand Hinduja
RelativesS. P. Hinduja and Gopichand Hinduja (brothers)
Dheeraj Hinduja (nephew)

Prakash Parmanand Hinduja (born June 1945) is an Indian-born Swiss businessman whose family is from the Sindh region. He is also the chairman of the Hinduja Group in Europe, with residences in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

As a business owner, his net worth as of 2024 is £37 billion, making him part of Britain's richest family. His wealth comes from interests such as oil, gas, and banking, as well as owning the Raffles London at The OWO.[1]

In June 2024, Hinduja, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law were sentenced to 4-4.5 years in jail for exploiting their domestic staff.[2]

Early life

Prakash Parmanand Hinduja was born in June 1945,[3] the son of Parmanand Hinduja, and educated at university.[4] He is of Sindhi origin.[5]

Starting out in Tehran, Iran, Prakash Hinduja soon moved to Geneva to look after the company’s Europe branch. He has been based out of Monaco since 2008 and presently, is the chairman of Hinduja Group (Europe).[6][7]

Criminal charges

In 2021, Hinduja was investigated for tax evasion, human trafficking, and residency fraud in Switzerland.[8][9] He was ordered by the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland to pay CHF125 million as financial collateral.[10]

Human trafficking charges

The family of Prakash was accused of exploiting Indian staff in their mansion while cultivating a "climate of fear."[11] For medical reasons, Prakash and his wife Kamal were unable to attend the proceedings that took place in a Geneva criminal court, staying back in Dubai.[12] On 21 June 2024, Prakash, Kamal, their son Ajay, and daughter-in-law Namrata were sentenced to 4 to 4.5 years in jail for exploiting their domestic workers but were acquitted of more serious charges of human trafficking.[13][14]

Personal life

He is married to Kamal Hinduja, they live in Monaco,[9][15] and have two sons, Ajay and Ramkrishan, and a daughter, Renuka.[4]

Prakash and his three brothers are teetotal and vegetarian.[16]

The family of Kamal and Prakash Hinduja have a residence in Switzerland, in the village of Cologny on Lake Geneva.[12]

References

  1. ^ "UK's richest family convicted of exploiting servants". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Hindujas: Four members of Britain's richest family get jail sentences after exploiting servants". Sky News. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Prakash Parmanand HINDUJA - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b ":: Hinduja Group - Our Group ::". hindujagroup.com. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. ^ Halime, Farah (24 December 2010). "Hinduja, a 'relatively' successful billionaire". The National. Retrieved 5 August 2016. The family's success began with their father, Parmanand, who came from the Sindh province of what is now Pakistan...
  6. ^ "Hinduja Family: Latest Hinduja Family News, Designation, Education, Net worth, Assets". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Gebrüder Hinduja: Auf altindische Art: BILANZ". Handelszeitung (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  8. ^ James, Mike (14 September 2021). "Indian billionaire Prakash Hinduja is on trial for human trafficking – his son Ajay is also suspected of tax evasion and forgery". Investor Telegraph. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b Miller, Hugo; Browning, Jonathan (23 November 2021). "Billionaire Family Feud Puts a Century-Old Business Empire in Jeopardy". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Geneva wants CHF125 million in back taxes from billionaire of Indian origin". Swissinfo. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Switzerland jails members of UK's richest family for abusing workers". Euronews. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Milliardäre vor Gericht – Superreiche am Genfersee sollen Frauen wie Leibeigene gehalten haben". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 24 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  13. ^ Keaten, Jamey (21 June 2024). "Swiss court sentences 4 members of Hinduja family to up to 4 1/2 years for exploiting their servants". AP News. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Hinduja family members sentenced to jail for exploiting domestic staff". www.ft.com. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Hinduja". www.hindujagroup.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ Lamb, Christina; West, Julian (28 January 2001). "The teetotal Hinduja brothers, who partied their way to power". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2024.