Emergency loans embezzled to be Corona-loans flowed abroad instead of in his own company, alleged cheaters in the Canton of Vaud, several million Corona-aid loans more difficult and 1.5 million Swiss francs was transferred abroad. The cases of abuse are piling up.Philippe Rich, Holger Alich0 Comment Finance Minister Ueli Maurer talked of the risk of Abuse in the case of the Covid-19-Assistance of small. The reality is different. Photo: Alessandro della Valle (Keystone)
the Finance Minister Ueli Maurer (SVP) established in the early. As a bricklayer at the end of March, the state-guaranteed Covid-19-auxiliary loans to companies presented, he said: “The misuse is virtually ruled out, I’m basically convinced.” The banks know their customers. And only in mid-may, the state Secretariat for economic Affairs (Seco) informed that there were only a few cases with suspicion of fraud.
Now, it shows that in the case of the loans is probably more likely to be cheated on, as this is the Minister of Finance has anticipated. In the case of the money laundering reporting office around 100 allegations were received by the banks up to last Tuesday: “We have sent the Prosecutor’s offices of the affected cantons in around 50 cases, reports in which there was a suspected Fraud is present, wherein a report can contain multiple allegations,” said spokesman Florian Näf. There are multiple cantons in all parts of the country were affected and more cases are likely to occur, so Näf. Also, the Federal financial control have been reported several suspected cases of fraud. According to a sample of this newspaper are in the cantonal Prosecutor, therefore, already more than 40 investigation procedures pending.
Inflated sales
The Canton of Vaud public Prosecutor’s office has made on Monday in its investigation into multiple cases of fraud to the public. In the Vaud entrepreneurs in relation to their commercial credit lines of a total of several million Swiss francs. To the loans they came by on their applications to the banks presumed überrissene sales figures. It is assumed that they coordinated themselves.
An SME may apply for a loan of a maximum of 10 percent of annual turnover at his Bank. The upper limit for a loan is half a Million francs. The state pays up to this amount, the full risk of default. The case leading Vaud Prosecutor Anton Rüsch says: “in Order to guarantee the borrowers a quick financial liquidity, it can be deposited to the Bank the money quickly to their accounts and checked the plausibility of the information only in retrospect.”
In the Canton of Vaud, the alleged fraud flew, not because of inflated sales figures, but because the borrower from the borrowed money exported 1.5 million Swiss francs abroad transfer. The lending banks have informed the reporting office for money laundering on the turned on again, the Vaud justice.
“I hope the money flows back into Switzerland. Sure but I’m not.”
Anton Rüsch, Vaud, attorney
Prosecutor Rüsch opened against the borrower, a method for fraud, embezzlement, unfaithful management, document forgery, money laundering and breach of the Corona-regulation of the Federal government. 19. May came it in various places to house searches. Rüsch put a Person on account of Kollusions and escape danger in custody. The accounts of the accused, he had to block, and took steps, so that the 1.5 million francs in Switzerland back. “I’m going to assume that the money comes back. Sure I can’t be,” says Rüsch. The question is, in what industry, the companies of the credit recipients, not wanted to answer Rüsch for investigation purposes. In the case of the accused that it was a Swiss citizen with Turkish roots, the justice in a Communiqué.
show searches in the Canton of Vaud, that the investigation of possible Covid-loan scams travel. The list of public prosecutors, the determine, is getting longer and longer.
more and more criminal proceedings
With around 30 cases of the Canton of Zurich has the most cases. The sums involved amount to around 2.5 million Swiss francs, according to the Supreme public Prosecutor’s office. Whether also house-to-house were disposed to do so, you have not provided any information.
The judicial system in Basel-city has a single-digit number of suspected cases in the visor. In the Canton of Schwyz, there are three, house searches there has been in this case no, it means the investigators have to wait on the Bank statements.
a New Prosecutor’s office in St. Gallen reports that it takes six procedures in this context. “We have edited Bank data and accounts will be blocked, but still no house searches or prosecution carried out in mutual agreement”, the representatives of the Media. And after the middle of may, no cases were pending, the Prosecutor’s office train now in two fraud cases. “The sums involved amounted to tens of thousands of francs”, it says.
on behalf of Seco, the experts of PWC to check whether a company illegally has multiple applications for state-guaranteed loans. The big Problem, however, is to check the use of funds. The “Sunday newspaper” reported that some of the entrepreneurs to trigger the emergency loans their luxury cars again, which they had previously been in car pawnshop.ch GmbH were pledged for a loan.
scammers are risking severe penalties: Whoever makes the application form deliberately false information, commits forgery of a document and must reckon with a fine of up to 100’000 Swiss francs and up to five years in prison.
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