The fraudster was reportedly a popular clergyman among parishioners.
Keystone / Urs Flueeler
A Swiss pastor who fraudulently begged parishioners for money to fuel his gambling habit has been handed a three-year suspended jail sentence and must serve six months behind bars.
The former clergyman conned CHF3.3 million ($3.4 million) out of his flock by asking for loans between 2009 and 2018 to pay off his gambling debts.
But rather than being cured of his gambling habit, he used the money to fund fresh losing sprees at casinos, where he played roulette and blackjack.
In 2018, the pastor resigned from his position from the Catholic church in Küssnacht am Rigi in the central canton of Schwyz.
Some of his 70 victims complained about his behaviour when he filed for bankruptcy the following year.
The court handed down a lenient sentence in light of the convicted man’s full confession and contrition and his willingness to take part in therapy to treat his gambling addiction.
“Without his cooperation, we would have been unable to locate many of his victims,” a prosecutor told Swiss public broadcaster SRF.
Now aged 52, the former pastor lives in a monastery.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Rhine could warm by up to 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
This content was published on
The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
This content was published on
The Swiss business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse and the employers' association broadly support the package of agreements negotiated with the European Union.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Gambling bans spike in Switzerland
This content was published on
The number of gamblers banned from casinos rose sharply last year to over 10,000, driven by the growth in online gambling sites.
This content was published on
Five years after the first Swiss casinos opened for business, almost 17,000 people have been banned from playing in the country’s 19 gambling houses, mostly for addiction reasons. Casinos have a legal obligation to work to prevent gambling addiction. swissinfo visited a casino on a midweek afternoon to see the everyday players the law aims…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.