The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) says it has demanded CHF1.6 million ($1.7 million) from one alleged fraudster and opened a criminal complaint against another.
Federal auditors estimate the state was conned out of CHF20 million over fraudulent invoicing for coronavirus tests.
Auditors also condemned a lack of sufficient controls and noted that only CHF6,000 had been recovered from fake tests by mid-December.
Swiss taxpayers footed a CHF2.7 billion bill for free tests over 2020 and 2021 – a practice that was disbanded at the start of this year.
On Thursday, the FOPH and the Federal Commission for Vaccination issued new guidelines on vaccinations.
From the start of April, vaccine boosters are only recommended for vulnerable people.
The decision has been taken on the grounds that current Covid-19 strains are less virile than previous mutations.
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Federal auditors slam lack of control over Covid test invoices
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Swiss auditors find control gaps of free coronavirus testing that contributed to an estimated CHF20 million in fraudulent invoicing.
Man convicted for fraudulently claiming massive Covid loan
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A 48-year-old businessman in Geneva has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence for making a fraudulent claim for a Covid loan.
Italian mafia milks Swiss Covid funds for expansion
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“We can see that the money allocated to companies as Covid loans very quickly goes abroad,” says Nicoletta della Valle, director of the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol). “It is the banks that report these observations to us.” To date, Fedpol’s Money Laundering Reporting Office (MROS) estimates that at least CHF180 million ($199 million) has been stolen from government loans issued to offset the financial damage of the…
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