FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
It was just after 6:00 a.m. on June 18, 2020, when Zurich police raided a villa in Weiningen, a town of 5,000 residents.
The villa was rented by a cleric and business manager, now 57, for around 24,000 Swiss francs. In his homeland, he is described as an “imam sheikh”, a type of religious leader who, according to his statements, is said to have around 8,000 followers in Kosovo, writes Tages Anzeiger.
During the raid, the police seized large amounts of documents, data storage devices and mobile phones, and also found an iron fist. Other raids were carried out in parallel, and several more weeks later, at eight different addresses: investigators searched company offices and restaurants in Dietikon and the canton of Aargau, as well as a trust company near Zug. The 57-year-old, his daughter and one of his three sons were held in custody for several months.
The total balance of the luxurious life? 120 cars, villas rented for 24 thousand francs per month, special license plates, 1.5 million francs in damage, unpaid loans.
This was the moment when a criminal system consisting of shell companies, manipulated balance sheets, and misused loans that were allegedly orchestrated by the head of the family and supported by close members of his family and two associates collapsed.
How the scam worked
After more than 5 years, the case is being reviewed in the Dietikon District Court. The grand trial will last six days. The prosecution has requested prison sentences of 8 to 90 months for the eight defendants, on charges of commercial fraud, embezzlement and many other criminal offenses. For the main defendant, the managing director, the prosecutor has requested a sentence of 7.5 years in prison and deportation from the country for 15 years.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the family and its aides set up a fraudulent scheme that investigators describe as "fictitious company foundations": over the years they created about a dozen construction, real estate and gastronomic companies, but often deposited the required initial capital, usually 100,000 Swiss francs, only temporarily.
As soon as a company was registered in the commercial register, the main suspect is said to have immediately appropriated the founding capital for the family's luxury. This created empty shell companies that looked serious from the outside but were bankrupt from the start.
Sipas dëshmitarëve, i dyshuari kryesor paraqitej në takime biznesi si një manjat i pasur i pasurive të paluajtshme, i cili gjoja e kishte ndërtuar pasurinë e tij përmes një restoranti familjar të suksesshëm dhe tregtisë së pasurive të paluajtshme. Një i pandehur 54-vjeçar, biznesmen, thuhet se e mbështeste këtë fasadë duke vepruar si bashkëpunëtor besnik dhe duke konfirmuar historinë e milionerit të vetëkrijuar.
Duke përdorur shifra të falsifikuara xhiroje prej 4.6 milionë frangash zvicerane për një restorant në Dietikon që ende nuk ishte hapur, i dyshuari kryesor thuhet se përfitoi në mënyrë mashtruese rreth 570,000 franga zvicerane kredi shtetërore nga fondet e Covid. Banka UBS kishte nisur të dyshonte, prandaj ai kishte kaluar te një bankë tjetër për shpërndarjen e ndihmës së koronavirusit. Sipas aktakuzës, kredi të tjera për projekte ndërtimi, që arrinin në miliona franga, u përvetësuan pjesërisht për të financuar stilin luksoz të jetesës së familjes.
Prokurori: Gënjeshtra dhe pasurim sistematik
Sipas prokurorit, i pandehuri kryesor gënjeu sistematikisht dhe u pasurua në kurriz të taksapaguesve: “Atij nuk i interesojnë rregullat, ai mendon vetëm për veten, pa marrë parasysh pasojat.” Pavarësisht tetë masave të sekuestrimit të pasurisë që ishin në fuqi, ai shiti një pronë për 785,000 franga zvicerane dhe përvetësoi shuma të mëdha me gjashtë shifra. “Zyrat e sekuestrimit dhe të përmbarimit dëgjonin gjithmonë se ai nuk kishte asgjë. Ai i zhdukte paratë e gatshme përmes dhuratave dhe huave,” shpjegoi prokurori në gjykatë.
Kur autoritetet dhe bankat kërkonin prova punësimi, biznesmeni thuhet se paraqiste dokumente të falsifikuara. Ai përdori gjithashtu vërtetime pune pjesërisht të sajuara për të zgjatur lejet e qëndrimit të anëtarëve të familjes. “Ai paraqitej si plotësisht i respektueshëm; na verboi të gjithëve,” tha i pandehuri tjetër, një kontabilist. Dikur ata ishin miq. Tani, në gjykatë, të dy burrat fajësojnë njëri-tjetrin.
Vajza: Firmosa gjithçka me besim
Rolet brenda familjes, të cilat prokurori i përshkroi si me “struktura patriarkale”, ishin të përcaktuara qartë: i pandehuri kryesor, babai, i mbante fort frerët, ndërsa zyrtarisht emëronte vajzën e tij, sot 27 vjeçe, djemtë (30, 33 dhe 35 vjeç) dhe bashkëshorten e tij 52-vjeçare (nga e cila tani është i divorcuar) si pronarë, anëtarë bordi ose drejtorë ekzekutivë. “Isha 19 vjeçe në atë kohë dhe firmosa gjithçka që më paraqiste babai im, me besim të plotë,” tha vajza para gjykatës.
Nëna e saj shpjegoi se ish-bashkëshorti i saj kishte marrë të gjitha vendimet. “Sekuestrimi i pagës sime është një padrejtësi, sepse nuk është as borxhi im,” u ankua 52-vjeçarja para dy gjykateseve dhe një gjykatësi.
Ish-bashkëshorti i saj i tha gjykatës se, si prift, nuk donte të paraqitej publikisht si drejtor menaxhues dhe për këtë arsye kishte emëruar anëtarë të familjes. Ai këmbënguli se nuk ishte kriminel dhe se nuk kishte bërë gabime me dashje. “Dua t’i kërkoj falje shtetit zviceran,” deklaroi ai.
100,000 francs for three license plates
Three auctions at the Zurich Traffic Office are a symbol of his extravagant lifestyle: while creditors waited in vain for their money, the main suspect invested almost 100,000 Swiss francs from company funds in three vehicle license plates with numbers from the 900 series. They are considered a status symbol.
The family's fleet of vehicles appears as extravagant as their expensive license plates: a total of 120 vehicles were registered in the family's name. Luxury vehicles for private use, including a Porsche Panamera, several Mercedes and a Hummer H2 Luxury, were reportedly financed with funds appropriated from the companies.
The damage caused by fraud, embezzlement and fraud against the authorities amounts to around 1.5 million Swiss francs. Seven companies have gone bankrupt, while five others have already been dissolved. The victims include many individuals and private claimants, including banks, insurance companies and state institutions, as well as private lenders, some of whom are under separate investigation for suspicions of usury.
Imam must leave Switzerland
In announcing the verdict, the presiding judge explained that numerous previous convictions, all fines, appeared to have failed to deter the main defendant and his “prolonged rise in criminal energy.” The court sentenced the 57-year-old in absentia to 42 months in prison, followed by a three-year deportation order.
Several charges, including mismanagement and weapons violations, could not be proven against him or were time-barred, the judge explained, justifying the reduction in sentence. He was also banned from doing business in Switzerland for five years.
No professional ban for convicted accountant
His ex-wife and four adult children were acquitted or received small fines. According to the court, the head of the family, as de facto managing director, made all the decisions. The family members appointed as company directors trusted him and had no control over the finances.
For the months of detention, the court awarded the girl and the boy a total compensation of around 70,000 Swiss francs. “In criminal law, collective punishment does not exist,” the judge said.
The accountant was sentenced to 12 months in prison and a fine for forgery, attempted fraud and other criminal offences. The court declined to impose a professional ban, stating that this was done “despite serious professional misconduct”. Such a ban would be financially devastating and therefore disproportionate. The verdict against the second suspected accomplice has not yet been announced.
Lini një Përgjigje