Switzerland: 64-year-old Kosovo expulsion for Swiss fraud sentenced to over 1m euros

According to Swiss media, NZZThe pensioner, now in his late 70 ' s, had financially supported his wife for years, as she repeatedly told him stories of various problems and demanded money in the form of borrowing.

During the trial of fraud, the question of how the pensioner continued to give money for so long arose in the courtroom. The prosecutor noted that the very incredible nature of stories made the testimony of the most convincing victim.

“Precisely in their invisibility lies the credibility of the victims' statements”, he said.

During the trial, the Kosovo woman failed to clarify satisfactorily how long she lived in Switzerland. She herself says she has come to Switzerland with her parents at age 13 but has never attended school in Switzerland. However, what is documented is that she has moved to Switzerland at the age of 24 within the family union. She has three grown children and six grandchildren in Switzerland. However, it faces the risk of deportation.

Friendship That Turned to Fraud

According to the case file, the pair had been recognized in 2001 through the then pensioner's partner, and in time they had developed a trust relationship.

In 2011, my wife ran a restaurant in the Zurich Unterland region, which was not working well. At the time, the pensioner then 64-year-old gave her a 30 thousand franc loan.

Thereafter, money requirements were repeated repeatedly. The woman claimed to have a property in Kosovo that she wanted to sell and that she needed money for different procedures with the authorities.

According to the prosecution, it told various stories about taking money: for divorce, sometimes bail after an alleged arrest, tax debt or hospital spending after a car accident.

The pensioner even traveled several times to Sarajevo to deliver the money personally.

1.1m euros in four years

The prosecution said that between 2012 and 2016 the woman managed to receive about 1.1m euros. The pensioner eventually lost money and began seeking financial help from his brother to continue paying.

According to the prosecutor, the husband kept paying because his wife promised him that he would return the money, and he feared that he would lose everything otherwise.

Arrest in Falgaria

After a long break, the woman asked for money again in 2024. This time the pensioner decided to make a criminal complaint.

In March 2024, she was arrested in French during her handover and was held in custody for three days.

The prosecution sought five years in prison and exile from Switzerland for ten years, accusing him of multiple fraud and extortion.

Denials and Controversial Declarations

In court, the accused only accepted a single loan of 10,000 francs, claiming he had returned it.

She also said she had not signed loan agreements in the file and denied she had ever been to Sarajevo.

However, according to the prosecution, the victim's statements coincide with banking movements and trips to Sarajevo are documented in his passport.

It also became known that the woman had been sentenced in 2017 for attempting to bring unjust employment aid to her mate with false paychecks.

Court Decision

The District Court in Bulach sentenced 64-year-old to 30 months in prison for multiple fraud commercially. From that sentence, 9 months must be served in prison, while 21 months are suspended on parole.

The court also ruled her expulsion from Switzerland for seven years.

In the argument of the verdict, the presiding judge said the case facts were confirmed and that the accused had denied the charges only in stereotypes.

The alleged “had acted cunningly and had constantly put pressure on the victim”, he said.

The court added that the pensioner was a vulnerable victim and that he had eventually lost his pension savings. His claims for compensation were approved. /Periscope/