Human trafficking case in Geneva: recusal request denied  

The four members of the wealthy Indian Hinduja family on trial in Geneva for human trafficking have suffered a setback at the Federal Court. Their request for the recusal of the ‘tribunal correctionnel’ judges who were to try them was rejected in a ruling published on Wednesday. Kamal, Prakash, Ajay and Namrata Hinduja accused the court of having had an exchange, via the judiciary press service, with an accredited journalist and of having told him that their trial, initially scheduled for October 2023, had been postponed to a later date. They considered this to be a breach of the impartiality, independence and integrity required of a court of law. The plaintiffs also said that, initially, they had been told that the court had not "communicated any information to the media either directly or through the communications department". In their view, this response was "deliberately contrary to the truth". In its ruling, the Federal Court noted that, although the court had had contact ...